Columbia Business Times - October 2018

SHERIFF DWAYNE CAREY PG. 39

FITTING THE PIECES TOGETHER PG. 65

Take Your Position Brianna Lennon and Taylor Burks face off for Boone County Clerk

2 OCTOBER 2018

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SPONSORED CONTENT

Meet the Test Driver “I need a certain level of spunk in my car to match the spunk in my spirit.”

PARKABILITY: During the course of doing my job as President of The Business Times Company, I spend a significant amount of time downtown. I can parallel park Dani in just about any space on the first try. Being a size that enables me to still do this is a must.

SASS: Let’s face it. I need a certain level of spunk in my car to match the spunk in my spirit. Not only do I need this aesthetically, but I need it with speed and pep.

ERICA PEFFERMAN President, The Business Times Company

MAKE Volkswagen MODEL Passat V6 SEL YEAR 2012 NAME “Dani” COLOR Grey with black leather interior CURRENT MILEAGE 181,272 FAVORITE TRIP St. George Island, FL

I LOVE MY CAR. I mean…I REALLY love my car. I drive a 2012 Volkswagen Passat V6 SLE. This year I turned 40 and Dani turned 176,000 miles. I have decided that it’s time for me to consider getting a new car. This decision comes with a fair amount of angst for me as I decide what to do. I mean, how does one replace the perfect car? As a professional problem solver, I decided to create a rubric to measure my new car choices against to see how they fit me. Here’s what I came up with.

VOLKSWAGEN: This is an easy one. It has to be one. I’m a diehard, loyal fan. My car has been mechanically sound for all of her 176,000 miles.

HOW THEY STACK UP:

GAS MILEAGE: Lastly, I drive from Boonville to Columbia every day for work. This means that I need my gas mileage to be efficient. I don’t want to sacrifice financial efficiency for sportiness.

So, now you can see what’s important to me in selecting my next new vehicle. In addition to this scorecard, I have the best partner in this process with Joe Machens Volkswagen.

They are committed to helping me find my next car and letting me take my time doing it. Over the course of the next several issues, I will be reporting back on my test drives of new vehicles from Joe Machens Volkswagen and how they measure up against my rubric.

By the time the December issue gets here, I will make my selection and tell you which it is.

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TEST DRIVE: Part 3

2018 VW Tiguan SUV Upon arriving at the dealership, Murali (Machens VW GM) grabbed a salesperson to help me find the Tiguan that I would be test driving. Mikey Glasgow helped me with the necessary paperwork, found the keys and introduced me to my ride for the next few days. He was hilarious and quite thorough even though I made him give me the Reader’s Digest version. The slate grey Tiguan with all the works made a really great first impression.

I kept the car three days to put it through the pace of my “normal” life including the Fourth of July festivities.

Here is how it scored on my test: VOLKSWAGEN: Check.

PARKABILITY: This being a smaller SUV loaded with a backup camera,

Volkswagen

it parked like a dream! I mean, I was the envy of all parallel parking fearing people in downtown. One shot and perfect!! Definitely gets a 5 on this.

SASS: This Tiguan had some sass. It has the keyless system I liked. The leather was luxurious. I was impressed again by the infotainment system.

In fact, it was the first time I noticed that specific name for it even though I know all the rest had it too. Everything I need to be entertained or informed was within fingertip range and very easy to use. This car also has the adaptive cruise control and blind spot monitor which can be super helpful as I spend so much time on I-70. I loved that it has all wheel drive, I could tell the difference when all four wheels were working. It’s definitely not as

peppy as my Passat and that is a big challenge for me. However, the sunroof/moonroof combo taking up the entire roof and making me feel like I was in a convertible really made up for it. I give it a 3.5/5 for sass.

GAS MILEAGE: Pretty decent gas mileage in this SUV. Factory information states that it gets 23 mpg.

I got close to this myself. I give it a 4/5 for fuel efficiency.

I’m getting close to finishing my search with only two models left to go. While I went in to this quite sure that the Passat was for me, that Atlas is looking better all the time. It is a for sure runner up at this point.

Parkability

Sass

Gas Mileage

Overall

5/5

3.5/5

4/5

4.2

1 2 0 0 V a n d i v e r D r . C o l u m b i a , M O | j o e m a c h e n s v w . c o m COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM | ( 8 5 5 ) 4 6 1 - 4 0 6 117

18 OCTOBER 2018

G

overnment. Politics. Votes. Ballots. City budgets. These words make me squirm.

If someone veers the conversation in this direction, I can feel my blood pressure and stress levels start to rise. So I do what I’ve always done when controversial subjects come up: I nod and smile. Now, I have no idea what I’m nodding to because I’m most likely blocking out the conversation and Take waiting for the other person to react to see if Your I nodded at the wrong point.

Position That’s why I need a volunteer to read the stories in this Government Issue to tell me ON THE COVER how well the stories were written since I’ve Say hello to this month’s cover just nodded and smiled as they came across models, Brianna Lennon and Taylor my desk.

Burks! They’re both past 20 Under 40 class members and they’re I kid, of course. I read each story at least running for Boone County Clerk in four times. Even the ones talking about govNovember’s election. ernment and politics.

Photography by Anthony Jinson.

But this CBT issue has stretched me. Where I’ve found it easier in the past to simply ignore and fake interest in topics that make me uncomfortable, this issue has pushed me to be engaged with what’s going on locally in the city and county governments.

For example, did you know that the City of Columbia’s budget is roughly 700 pages long? That’s crazy! The whole thing takes nine months to produce and is comprised of 52 departmental budgets. You can read more about it and the key components that go into the budget creation process on page 65.

We as a staff were also curious about the differences between how the City of Columbia and Boone County governments are run, so we looked into those differences (page 79).

Next month voters will be going back to the polls, so this magazine issue also covers Proposition D, commonly known as the motor fuel tax. There is a lot of money at stake for our city, county, and state, so this story digs into what the fuel tax revenue would be going towards and what the repercussions will be if the proposition doesn’t pass (page 75).

We’d love to hear your thoughts on what you thought we should have looked into and didn’t this magazine issue. What are you curious about when it comes to the city or county governments that you’d like to see covered in a web exclusive article or in our next government-themed magazine issue? Shoot me an email and let me know!

SHERIFF

DWAYNE

CAREY PG. 39

FITTING

THE PIECES TOGETHER

PG. 65

Brianna Lennon and Taylor Burks face off for Boone County Clerk

STICKY NOTE MOTIVATION Local public servants share their favorite quotes.

“There is no such thing as a free lunch; someone has to pay.”

- Walter Johnson, MU professor

Tom Schauwecker, Boone County Assessor

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.”

- Coach John Wooden

Judge Jeff Harris, Circuit Judge, 13th Circuit

“Some are bound for happiness, Some are bound to glory, Some are bound to live with less , Who can tell your story?”

Cheers,

- Neil Young,

“See the Sky About to Rain”

Emma Bentley, Editor Emma@businesstimescompany.com

/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

John Whiteside, attorney

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

20 OCTOBER 2018

EDITORIAL Emma Bentley, Editor Emma@BusinessTimesCompany.com Megan Whitehead, Managing Editor MWhitehead@BusinessTimesCompany.com Tiffany Schmidt, Editorial Assistant Tiffany@BusinessTimesCompany.com DESIGN/CREATIVE SERVICES Jordan Watts, Senior Designer Jordan@BusinessTimesCompany.com Kate Morrow, Graphic Designer Kate@BusinessTimesCompany.com Cassidy Shearrer, Graphic Designer Cassidy@BusinessTimesCompany.com Sadie Thibodeaux, Graphic Designer Sadie@BusinessTimesCompany.com MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Deb Valvo, Marketing Consultant Deb@BusinessTimesCompany.com Bonnie Hudson, Marketing Consultant Bonnie@BusinessTimesCompany.com

Inside the Issue Around the Office 20 UNDER 40 ALUMNI PARTY As the CBT staff begins to narrow down the nominations for the 20 Under 40 class of 2019, we took a break to hang out with previous 20 Under 40 class members at DogMaster Distillery.

MANAGEMENT Erica Pefferman, President Erica@BusinessTimesCompany.com Renea Sapp, Vice President ReneaS@BusinessTimesCompany.com Amy Ferrari, Operations Manager Amy@BusinessTimesCompany.com Beth Bramstedt, Editorial Director Beth@BusinessTimesCompany.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Keith Borgmeyer, Anthony Jinson, Alec Pettus, Tiffany Schmidt, Sadie Thibodeaux CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Alexander Cartwright, Mark Farnen, Al Germond, Jodie Jackson Jr., Kermit Miller, David Morrison, Robert Overmann, Elizabeth Quinn, Jennifer Truesdale CONTRIBUTING DESIGNERS Helena Jordheim INTERNS Jordyn Miller SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscription rate is $19.95 for 12 issues for 1 year or $34.95 for 24 issues for 2 years.

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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

BEHIND THE SCENES Here’s a glimpse at how photographer Keith Borgmeyer got a unique shot of Mike Parks, Columbia Regional Airport’s manager, while shooting for our Celebrations story on the airport’s 50th anniversary.

Contributors

Kermit Miller, KRCG 13

Robert Overmann

David Morrison

Jennifer Truesdale

Write to CBT editor Emma Bentley at Emma@BusinessTimesCompany.com COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 21

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22 OCTOBER 2018

Mark Richardson, CFP® Financial Advisor

OC TO BE R 2018 VOL . 2 5 / ISSUE 4

TA B LE OF CON T EN TS

The Government Issue

34

19 FROM THE EDITOR 21 INSIDE THE ISSUE 25 CLOSER LOOK 26 BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS 29 BUSINESS UPDATE Columbia License Offices

32 NONPROFIT SPOTLIGHT Heart of Missouri CASA

34 CELEBRATIONS Columbia Regional Airport

37 MOVERS & SHAKERS 39 P.Y.S.K. Dwayne Carey, Boone County Sheriff’s Department

43 10 QUESTIONS Karla K. Rose, United States Postal Service

45 A CAPITOL CONVERSATION The U.S. Senate Race

47 LOCAL PERSPECTIVE: Mark Farnen

51 LOCAL PERSPECTIVE: Alexander Cartwright, MU Chancellor

53 OPINION: AL GERMOND The Henderson Branch Decision

COU Celebrates 50 Years Columbia Regional Airport is celebrating their 50th anniversary and making changes to accommodate an increase in flight options and larger number of passengers coming through their gates.

85 NEW BUSINESS LICENSES 86 DEEDS OF TRUST 87 ECONOMIC INDEX 89 BY THE NUMBERS 90 THIS OR THAT Clyde Ruffin, City Council Ward 1

54

65

71

75

79

Don’t Be So Serious

Demystifying the City’s Budget

Stamp of Approval

Fueling the Bottom Line

Getting to know the candidates on November’s ballot.

Breaking down key components of the budget creation process.

Analyzing the call for a city audit of Columbia’s finances.

Looking into Proposition D, the proposed motor fuel tax.

In Focus: City vs. County Governments The differences between how each government is run.

24 OCTOBER 2018

BUSINE SS • P EOP L E • VOIC ES • F YI

C LOSER LOOK

Closer Look

Cooper’s Ridge

Iron Mountain

Mid-Missouri has a new option for a wedding and event venue. Opened in May by Sean and Kelly McCollegan, Cooper’s Ridge is located off I-70 at exit 111, across from the Warm Springs Ranch.

The property features 38 acres of pasture and rolling hills, a five-acre lake, a small pond, and a fire pit. The primary building, which once operated as a furniture factory, includes 6,200 square feet of open space as well a 2,200-square-foot patio.

“We were inspired by venues of this type in other cities,” says Sean. “While there are great spaces in the region, we felt like there was more that Columbia needed.”

The McCollegans and new partners Jeff and Brandi Huebner offer a climate-controlled, handicap friendly, rural setting.

“The building has a lot of character with a rustic and modern feel,” says Sean.

The venue can also accommodate sales meetings, black-tie events, and large fundraisers.

If you need to put something in a box, put it on a tape, store it on the cloud, or destroy it, then Iron Mountain is here to help.

Iron Mountain was founded in 1951 in a former iron mine in Germantown, New York, and has become a global business dedicated to storing, protecting, and managing information and assets. They serve more than 225,000 organizations worldwide and have a network of more than 1,400 locations and 85 million square feet. But most importantly, since January of 2018, they’ve also had a local presence.

“With current facilities in Kansas City and St. Louis, it logistically made sense for us to come to Columbia in order to reach more customers while getting to them in a timelier matter,” says Operations Manager Doug Oetting.

The local crew includes a staff of four with more than 48 years of combined industry experience. Locally, the team specializes in secure storage and secure destruction.

“We currently serve 120 local customers,” says Oetting, “and we’re looking to expand our base in the market.”

Location: 24991 Highway 98, Boonville Website: coopersridgemo.com Contact: 573-777-0858

Location: 2900 Lemone Industrial Blvd.

Website: ironmountain.com Contact: 573-815-1115

Sunbelt Business Brokers of Columbia Sunbelt Business Brokers of Columbia, which opened in June, specializes in helping business owners sell their business when the time is right.

“Selling a business is usually a highly confidential event, so it’s different than most sales processes,” says owner Sterling Sublett.

Business owners who try to sell their business themselves can end up damaging the value of their company in the process. Sublett wants to help business owners avoid this potential problem.

“Once the price is formulated, we take it to market, look for strong buyers, and try to determine how serious those buyers are,” he says. “We then help them through the process and try to bring the seller as many qualified offers as possible.”

For business owners still figuring out their options for selling, Sunbelt Business Brokers offers complimentary business valuations.

Location: 3700 Monterey Dr. Website: sunbeltnetwork.com/ Columbia-mo Contact: 573-349-0099

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

BUSINE SS • P EOP L E • VOIC ES • F YI

Briefly in the News OCTOBER 2018

E DUC AT ION

STEPHENS COLLEGE Stephens College has created a strategic plan to reduce tuition called “The Stephens Solution.” This plan ensures that no student will pay more than $22,500 in tuition annually starting in the 2019-2020 academic year. This is down from the current maximum of $30,750. Students will continue to have access to need- and merit-based financial aid to reduce costs further based on their own unique situations.

EDUC AT ION

WOODHAVEN LEARNING CENTER AND ENCIRCLE TECHNOLOGIES Woodhaven has joined forces with EnCircle Technologies to provide greater educational opportunities for students with autism and other barriers to education. The newly united organization hopes to provide learning opportunities for tech-based skills as well as the skills needed to be successful in community-based employment.

“We are ensuring that together we can meet the diverse needs of our community now and for years to come.”

— Mark Palmer, CEO, Woodhaven

26 OCTOBER 2018

BR I EFLY I N T H E N EWS

C OM M U N I T Y

VETERANS UNITED HOME LOANS Employees from Veterans United Home Loans traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota to assist the Oglala Lakota people in improving their reservation. During the week-long trip, 16 employees assisted with general home repairs and built outhouses, bunk beds, wheelchair-accessible ramps, and porches.

BUS INES S

MFA OIL ACQUIRES GAS COMPANY

T E C H NOL O GY

SPECTRUM LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAMS Charter Communications Inc. announced the launch of Spectrum Internet Gig for residential customers and Spectrum Business Internet Gig for small and medium-sized businesses in Columbia.

Spectrum Internet Gig is available to more than 70 percent of the company’s footprint and will be available throughout most of Spectrum’s 41-state service area by the end of the year.

MFA Oil Company, a farmerowned energy supply cooperative, has acquired the propane and farm fuel operations of Frazier Oil & LP Gas Company, an independent retailer based in Gower, Missouri. Frazier Oil has serviced residential, agricultural, and commercial customers all over central Missouri. MFA Oil is the eighth largest propane retailer in the United States.

The company supplies fuels, lubricants, and propane.

T EC H NOL O GY

BOONE HOSPITAL CENTER ROBOTS Boone Hospital Center is celebrating its 10th year providing robotic prostate cancer surgery. Over the past 10 years, Boone Hospital urologists have performed over 750 prostate cancer robotic surgeries. The surgeries are performed using the da Vinci robotic system, which is operated by hand and foot controls. Research has shown that robotic surgery leads to less pain, smaller scars, and an easier recovery.

“Frazier Oil’s propane and farm fuel business is a natural fit for our company, and we are excited to welcome their customers.”

— Jon Ihler, VP of Sales and Marketing, MFA Oil Company

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 27

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BUSINE SS • P EOP L E • VOIC ES • F YI

BU SI N ESS U PDAT E

Two Locations Provide Separate Experiences Columbia’s licensing offices approach customer service with different philosophies.

BY ELIZA BETH QU IN N | P HOTOG R A P HY BY K E I TH B O R G ME Y E R

Photos of Columbia south licensing and registration office.

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 29

B USINE SS • P EOP L E • VOIC ES • F YI

MOST PEOPLE OVER THE AGE OF 16 will at some point in their lives have to visit the Department of Motor Vehicles office, better known in Columbia as licensing offices.

The licensing offices handle vehicle registrations and renewals, titling services, license plate renewals, driver’s licenses, and identification cards.

Columbia is fortunate to have two licensing office locations — one on Vandiver Drive and one on Grindstone Parkway.

According to the state Department of Revenue’s website, in 2009, then governor Jay Nixon put all license offices out for a bid under the competitive procurement process, allowing the government to contract private businesses to work the licensing offices for the government.

In late 2014, Koester and Koester LLC won the bid for the Vandiver licensing location. For some time, this office was the largest licensing office in Missouri. Through a legislative process, Columbia opened a second licensing office off of Grindstone in 2016. This time, Elle Management LLC won the bid for the location.

K&K DOING OK Manager Kimberly Peck-Matney has worked at the Vandiver location for over two years. She has been with numerous other licensing offices across the state of Missouri.

The untraditional way in which the state’s government contracts private businesses has been a positive thing, Peck-Matney says. Customers have told her how the contracted business running the office has made the location faster and smoother. People are getting in and out quicker.

“It does take a special breed of person to do this job,” Peck-Matney says. “You have to be able to be thick-skinned. You can't take anything personal. You can't take anything to heart because nine times out of 10 that person isn't frustrated with you; they are frustrated with the system.”

The Vandiver licensing office, owned by a father, David Koester, and son, DJ Koester, has a constant flow of people in the door. Peck-Matney says this is often because the Missouri State Highway Patrol is right next door. The Highway Patrol is responsible for overseeing the driver exams, so it’s convenient for drivers to come straight to the license office afterwards 30 OCTOBER 2018

Each location has their own philosophy on customer service. For Vandiver, it is all about courtesy. Young people might not understand what’s going on, and the older generation might

have trouble remembering the little details, Peck-Matney says. “Common courtesy is big,” she says. “Sweetness or understanding goes a longer way than vinegar.”

BU SI N ESS U PDAT E

The people make every day interesting and different, says Peck-Matney. There was a 100-year-old who was the sharpest, funniest man she had met in a long time: Peck-Matney says he had a philosophy that “every day above dirt is a good one.” ’ELLO ELLE MANAGEMENT “Once we forget that our customers have a choice in where they do their license office business, we lose the competitive advantage gained by showing kindness and respect to the community we serve,” says Terri Harris, founder and CEO of Elle Management LLC. “To this day, my cell phone number is listed in all the offices as well as the state website.”

Harris managed license offices for 19 years before forming her own company in February 2009. With the addition of Columbia’s south license office, Harris has provided service to customers in the way in which family members would want to be treated: Think of it like the Golden Rule, but for business.

The secret to the south location’s efficiency has to do with its setting and its staffing. Harris believes their location attracts the best in the business. Not only that, but there is adequate staffing to keep up with the crowds that come into the office.

Manager Amanda Crosby is the best manager in the industry, Harris says. “She loves her community and is so proud to call Columbia her home. . . . She engages our customers with her warm personality and genuine concern. I tell her often that I wish we could clone her. Seriously, she’s the best.”

The staff is trained to a high degree as well. “We not only provide training in how to properly process the transactions, but we train them in how to process quickly,” Harris says. Employees are to stand during transactions. They found that by eliminating the need for chairs, some processes, such as getting inventory, logging surrendered plates, and performing all the tasks involved in serving our customers quickly, move much quicker, she says.

“My dad and I spent many hours together designing our office system to provide for maximum efficiency for our customers” Harris says. “Add our terrific management team and the results are clear to everyone visiting the office.” CBT

Columbia South License & Registration Office 1101 Grindstone Pkwy. | 573-442-2134 Columbia License Office 4003 Vandiver Dr. Suite B | 573-474-4700 COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 31

BUSINE SS • P EOP L E • VOIC ES • F YI

Providing a Voice for Children Heart of Missouri CASA volunteers advocate for children in foster care.

BY EMMA BENTL EY

P HOTOG R A P HY P R OV I D E D BY H E A RT O F MI SS O U R I C ASA

WHEN A CHILD ENTERS the foster care system, they are appointed a team of people to help them through the system: a social worker, a lawyer, and a judge. But because the foster care system has such a high number of cases, the people on the child’s team often change throughout the child’s time in foster care, which is two years on average. That’s why, in 1977, a family court judge in Seattle created Court Appointed Special Advocates.

“CASA is a national organization that’s been around for 40 years. There are about 1,000 programs throughout the country, and there are 22 in Missouri, says Kelly Hill, executive director of Heart of Missouri CASA. 32 OCTOBER 2018

“They mostly go by judicial circuit. We cover the 13th circuit, which includes Boone and Callaway counties.”

The family court judge “was concerned about the amount of information he had to make these really critical decisions for kids’ lives, such as where they’re going to live and when they’re going to leave foster care,” explains Hill. “He started CASA to have an independent, objective person who’s not paid by or a part of the system to be a voice for the children. CASA volunteers are there to make sure the kid’s needs are presented to the judge and the team and that [the child has] everything they need to heal from the abuse

they’ve experienced and to hopefully have a much better future going forward.”

WHAT DOES A CASA LOOK LIKE? A CASA is a volunteer from the community who “cares about our community’s vulnerable children and is willing to invest time and energy into being their advocate,” says Hill.

Once matched with a case, a CASA volunteer stays with that child or sibling set for the duration of the case. This allows them to get to know the child and their needs on a more personal level than the other team members on the case.

Heart of Missouri CASA FOUNDED 2005

MISSION STATEMENT To train and support volunteers to be exceptional voices for every abused and neglected child in the Boone and Callaway County Family Court.

CASA VOLUNTEERS IN 2017 116

CHILDREN SERVED IN 2017 232

BOARD MEMBERS • Elizabeth Blake • Myra Drummond-Lewis • Carl Edwards Sr. • Sharon Horbyk • Emily Little • Karen O’Connor • Charles Parrish • Jorgen Schlemeier • Jason Sickmeier

N ON PR OFI T

The CASA volunteer has two meetings a month with the child or sibling set — one is held where they live and the other is held where they attend school or daycare. During these meetings, the CASA volunteer is listening to the child, asking them questions about their home life, and determining what needs — educational, therapeutic, behavioral — they should be bringing to the court’s attention.

CASA volunteers are the eyes and ears for the court, explains Hill.

Staying with the case for its duration also means that the CASA volunteer will be a “consistent adult presence in the child’s life making sure that their needs are getting addressed in a timely manner and that they’re exiting foster care as quickly as possible,” says Hill.

WHAT BENEFITS DOES A CASA PROVIDE? Children with a CASA volunteer often leave foster care sooner than those without a CASA, says Hill. In the Heart of Missouri CASA program, children with a CASA volunteer are in foster care two to three months shorter than children without one. There is also a trend of children moving homes less frequently when there is a CASA volunteer involved, and there is a lower re-entry rate into foster care with these children.

These children also receive more services in the areas of education, therapy, and behavior because the CASA volunteer knows the child and their case so thoroughly. They are able to advocate for the child’s needs in the court in order to get those services provided for the child.

“I’ve seen CASA volunteers have a big impact on kids being in the best possible home, sometimes recommending they change homes because of something unsafe that’s going on or getting a child into a better home,” says Hill. “When you think about the life of a child who has experienced abuse and needs a consistent stable person looking out for them, the opportunity for impact is, I would say, greater than a lot of other volunteer opportunities.”

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BE A CASA? In order to volunteer with CASA, individuals must meet set requirements, apply, and com-

“We are serving about 38 percent of the children in need right now, and it’s our goal to be serving 50 percent by the end of 2019.” plete an interview with one of Heart of Missouri CASA’s staff members. If the individual is accepted into the program, they will then need to complete 30 hours of training — half to be completed in person and half to be completed online.

After the training is complete, there is a swearing-in ceremony with the family court judge. Once the individual has been sworn in, they can take on their first case. But they aren’t left on their own.

“Every CASA volunteer has a supervisor who’s a professional who has a lot of experience in working with the folks in our system,” Hill explains. “We provide a lot of training and a lot of supervision to help our volunteers be the best possible advocates they can be and make the best possible recommendations.”

As of this writing, there are 105 CASA volunteers serving 170 children. While this sounds abundant, there are currently about 300 children in Boone and Callaway counties without a CASA. “We are serving about 38 percent of the children in need right now, and it’s our goal to be serving 50 percent by the end of 2019. The main thing that keeps us from reaching that [goal] is not having enough volunteers,” says Hill.

Hill tells volunteers that the time commitment is around eight to 12 hours a month. This smaller time commitment allows for business professionals to volunteer. Right now, Hill says, about half of their volunteers are in the workforce while the other half is retired.

“The best part [of the job] for me is seeing that there really is hope for these kids.

They’ve experienced an intense amount of trauma, but there’s hope for healing and a better future, and CASA volunteers can play a big part in that by being that consistent person that knows the kid,” says Hill. CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 33

Mike Parks, Columbia Regional Airport manager

1968

2013

2016

Columbia Regional Airport opens.

American Airlines begins daily flights to Chicago and Dallas/Fort Worth.

Airport transferred to the Department of Economic Development.

34 OCTOBER 2018

BUSINE SS • P EO P L E • VOIC ES • F YI

C ELEBRAT I ON S

COU Celebrates 50 Years Flight options, fleet sizes, and passenger counts soar.

BY BETH BRA MST EDT | P HOTOG R A P HY BY K E I TH B O R G M E Y E R

A LOT HAS CHANGED since the main 6500foot runway on Highway H had its dedication on November 2, 1968, and the new Columbia Regional Airport opened shortly thereafter.

What served as a smaller, regional aviation center handling just under 18,000 passengers on 19-passenger prop planes in 2007 has since become a significant source of economic impact for the City of Columbia.

NUMERIC SUCCESS According to the Missouri Statewide Airports Economic Impact Study commissioned by MoDOT, the airport accounted for 745 jobs in 2012 with an annual payroll of $26,925,000, and a total output (measure of the value of goods, services, and capital expenditures) of $87,179,000.

Since the publication of the study, the airport has continued to grow exponentially. Airport Manager Mike Parks, who has worked for the airport for 16 years, began seeing the turnaround in 2013 when the airport added a daily flight to Chicago and two to Dallas/Fort Worth with American Airlines.

“With the addition of American Airlines, you can see the growth in the amount of flights being added, as well as the aircraft type,” Parks says. “The enhancement of the aircraft themselves is also an achievement in terms of capacity and comfort for passengers.”

The growth spiked again in mid-2017 when United Airlines began daily service to Chicago and Denver and the 76-passenger CRJ900 jet, complete with 12 first-class seats, was added to the fleet for American Airlines’ flights to Dallas.

The current numbers? A record breaking 22,635 passengers flew in and out during the month of May. Compare that to 17,982 in the entire year of 2007.

STRATEGIC GROWTH For these reasons and more, the City of Columbia, which has run the airport since it opened, made the strategic decision to transfer the airport from the jurisdiction of the Department of Public Works to the Department of Economic Development last fall.

“Columbia wanted to demonstrate that the airport is a huge supporter of the economy,” says Parks. “The big takeaway from that decision is that the airport is now seen as an economic driver for the region, not just a utility.”

The amount of growth also necessitated the addition of a second TSA screening line for early morning flights.

“The additional lane was added to support peak airline passenger flow,” says Jim Spriggs, federal security director for the greater St. Louis area of TSA. “COU demonstrated passenger flow this summer which exceeded our capacity each morning, so TSA worked with Mike and his team to increase our capacity by adding a second X-ray.”

By adding the capacity now, the airport benefits from having a redundant system.

They are also positioned for even more growth in the future.

“The recent growth at Columbia is good for the state of Missouri and for the folks that live and work in the local community there,” says Spriggs. “The team’s commitment to our mission and to secure air transportation

is outstanding, and we look forward to working with them on the new terminal project.”

EXCEPTIONAL SERVICE While the numbers show the airport’s growth, Parks believes people’s decisions to fly in and out of COU aren’t always tangible. He credits much of the airport’s success to the free parking, competitive pricing, the support of the city staff, and the willingness of his 17-person team to go the extra mile.

“It makes it a joy to come to work when people really enjoy flying out of here,” Parks says. “The employees work really hard to show passengers why they should fly out of Columbia. We are getting a lot busier, but we won’t get away from that personal touch.”

And while Parks does not have access to the number of passengers flying for business versus leisure, he sure has noticed a lot more skis going through the enhanced baggage screening since the Denver flight and the new equipment was added. “They didn’t used to do that. Everything is beginning to fall into place to be able to continue growing the leisure market as well.”

But perhaps the most notable celebration is the receptivity of the airlines, which was apparent to Parks at a recent national conference. “The airlines now see growth in Columbia, so we don’t have to seek them out like we did in years past,” Parks says. “Now they’re seeking us out.”

The City, in partnership with the city’s Airport Advisory Board, is planning a formal anniversary celebration later this fall. CBT

2017

2017

2018

Mike Parks named airport manager.

United Airlines begins daily service to Chicago and Denver.

A record number of passengers fly in and out of COU. COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 35

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Un-Bored Room Central Bank upgrades engage audience Like their big-impact community projects, Central Bank of Boone County wanted big impact upgrades to their Boardroom and training room. They required the same high-resolution image on all four training room displays, and the largest high-quality display to fit without modification in their Boardroom. Our solutions included rewiring the training room from VGA to HDMI and using a commercial grade 4-way HDMI splitter, so all displays retain equal resolution. Sony 75” and 85” 4K LED TVs ensure quality and reliability.

36 OCTOBER 2018

B U SINESS • PEOP LE • VOIC ES • F YI

M OVER S & SH AKER S

Movers & Shakers OCTOBER 2018 TIMBERLAKE

Caleb Jones

Kat Cunningham

Chuck Bowman

The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives board of directors selected Caleb Jones to become its new CEO upon the retirement of Barry Hart. In his role, Jones will be focused on keeping electricity affordable and reliable for co-op members and improving quality of life in rural Missouri. He is a former state representative originally from California, Missouri, and he also previously worked on Capitol Hill for Representative Kenny Hulshof focusing on agricultural and environmental issues.

Kat Cunningham, CEO of Moresource Inc., was awarded the 2018 Outstanding Women-owned Business Award at the first Minority and Women Business Expo and Showcase. Cunningham, who started Moresource in 1994, has grown the business to operate in 25 states. Her continued involvement throughout Columbia has made her a wellknown leader for women and minority entrepreneurs.

Chuck Bowman, president of Monarch Title Company Inc., will serve as the president of Missouri Land Title Association for a one-year term during fiscal year 2019. The Missouri Land Title Association was founded in 1907 as a professional association of abstractors throughout Missouri with over 175 active member title companies and numerous affiliate members. The association works closely with legislators in Missouri to support legislation that upholds the highest standards of the title industry and public interest.

Katie Griffith Central Bank of Boone County announced the promotion of Katie Griffith to Classic director. In her role, Griffith will assist with the personal financial needs for customers age 50 and over. She will also join local businesses to provide additional benefits for the bank’s Classic members and will be organizing unique travel opportunities. Griffith has more than seven years of experience in financial services and began her career with Central Bank of Boone County in 2011.

Nicklas Timberlake Coil Construction has added Nicklas Timberlake to their team. Timberlake is a certified professional engineer and joins the team as a project manager. He will work directly with clients and manage budgets and schedules throughout all phases of each construction project. Timberlake has extensive experience in working with site design, stormwater management, and public utilities.

Jarrod Schwartz MidwayUSA has promoted Jarrod Schwartz to the position of advertising manager. In this new position, Schwartz will be responsible for the advertising function of the organization, working to promote products and campaigns through various advertising media. Schwartz has been with MidwayUSA for more than eight years and has worked as an internet advertising specialist, content specialist, and most recently as the content manager in the product development department.

CUNNINGHAM

SCHWARTZ

Matt Garrett Matt Garrett has been named general manager of KOMU 8 and Mid-Missouri’s CW. He has served in the role on an interim basis since November 2017. Garrett’s varied experiences at KOMU 8 give him a solid understanding of the position and station, and his involvement in the local community has prepared him to take the lead at KOMU 8, the station said in an announcement.

Caitlin Sloan

Jeremy Brown

The Missouri Contemporary Ballet named Caitlin Sloan associate executive director. This new position was created especially for Sloan; Artistic and Executive Director Karen Grundy credits Sloan as being the most qualified person for this role. Sloan received her bachelor’s in dance from Grand Valley State University in 2009 and graduate certificate in nonprofit management from the University of Missouri in 2017.

The Ragtag Film Society’s board of directors selected Jeremy Brown to serve as the organization’s new executive director. As executive director, Brown will be responsible for leadership of the entire nonprofit organization, including its theater, Ragtag Cinema. Before taking on this role, Brown worked for Ragtag Film Society for almost a decade and as the executive director of the True/False Film Festival. CBT

BOWMAN

GARRETT

BROWN

Are you or your employees making waves in the Columbia business community? Send us your news at Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 37

38 OCTOBER 2018

www.esicomm.com

B U SINESS • PEOP LE • VOIC ES • F YI

P E R S ON YO U SH OU LD KN OW

DWAYNE CAREY S H E RI F F | B O ON E C OUN T Y SH E RIF F ’S DE PART M E N T | AGE: 5 1 Job description: My job, in a nutshell, is really about managing personnel along with our annual budget. Oh, and being able and willing to attend a lot of meetings!

Years lived in Columbia/MidMissouri: 51 (my entire life).

Education: Bachelor’s in criminal justice and master’s in criminal justice and law enforcement administration from Columbia College.

Favorite volunteer/community activity: Coaching youth sports.

Professional background: I started with the Boone County Sheriff’s Department in 1989 and have been there ever since!

I spent the majority of my career in the enforcement branch until being elected sheriff in 2004.

A favorite recent project: I have been and am currently working with several investment companies to come up with an early retirement package for our deputies. Our competitors in the law enforcement job market all have early retirement (55 or younger), whereas our retirement age is 62. It makes hiring and retaining harder than it has to be.

A Columbia businessperson I admire and why: I would have to select two: Mike Teel, owner of Mid-City Lumber, and Bill Burnett, owner of Farm and Power – Lawn and Leisure. Both are shrewd businessmen and both are extremely charitable individuals, more than anyone in the community will probably ever know.

Why I’m passionate about my job: It presents new challenges every day from both inside and outside the department.

Photography by Keith Borgmeyer

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 39

B U SINESS • PEOPLE • VOIC ES • F YI

P E R S ON YO U SH OU LD KN OW

I find myself feeding off those challenges and, of course, solving or conquering them.

Why I’m passionate about my company: This is not the first time I’ve said this and it won’t be the last, but the people I work with are truly a great group, and I’m fortunate to be a part of the group.

They make the department what it is by the work they do each and every day.

If I weren’t doing this for a living, I would: I can’t imagine doing anything else.

What people should know about this profession: There are far, far more good law enforcement officers than bad throughout the country and the majority are in the profession for all the right reasons. It’s an extremely tough job, especially in today’s society. It seems to be an easy profession to armchair quarterback, but the reality is most people would crap down their leg if they had to experience what law enforcement officers do on a daily basis.

The next challenge facing my industry: I actually see many, but one in particular stands out to me. It is a current challenge that will also be a future challenge.

The vocal minority in society attempts to dictate how law enforcement agencies do their jobs through both the media and social media while the silent majority in society goes about their busy lives and remains silent. Law enforcement is judged by a small percentage of incidents when you consider the millions of contacts made each year, but somehow the image of law enforcement as a whole is being tainted.

My next professional goal: Being re-elected in 2020!

Biggest lesson learned in business: Treat your work budget like you do your personal budget; operate on a “need” basis and not a “want” basis and be sure to have an emergency fund for unexpected expenditures.

40 OCTOBER 2018

How I would like to impact the Columbia community: Well I think we do that every day as a department in Columbia and Boone County, but not to the extent I would like. If we were talking about me personally, I would like to be a part of and lead a regional approach to law enforcement by forming a county police that would not only serve Boone County, but the City of Columbia as well.

me on the golf course or spending time with my other foursome (wife and three kids).

Greatest strength: Willingness to surround myself with great people.

Greatest weakness: My wife tells me I have a hard time identifying any!

Accomplishment I’m most proud of: There would be two: the job my wife and I did with our kids and being a part of building one of the best law enforcement agencies in the state.

What I do for fun: I absolutely love to hunt, which is something I learned from and shared with my dad. I now get to share that with my sons. If I’m not hunting, you can find

Most people don’t know that I: love the television comedy “The Big Bang Theory,” and I cried like a baby when my kids left for college. CBT

Family: My wife, Leslie, and I have been married for 25 years. We have twin boys, Tanner and Tyler, and a daughter, Katie. We are an extremely close-knit bunch.

Favorite place in Columbia: My home, to be totally honest.

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1 0 QU EST I ON S

go visit the other Columbia sites to see what’s going on. I frequently go out and observe carriers on the street to make sure they are working safely. I do spend some of my days either assisting customers in the lobby or calling them about complaints or issues they may be having with their service. I normally end the day when the last carrier is back and the doors are locked.

4. What drew you to your position?

I have progressively moved up in the postal service and this was the next level of management to be promoted to. Also, Columbia is only about an hour and a half away from St. Louis, where my family is located, so that was a contributing factor.

Q&A KARLA ROSE Postmaster, United States Post Office, Columbia

1. What’s your background? I was a restaurant manager for about 15 years prior to being hired at the post office. I initially started out as a letter carrier and worked my way up the management chain.

2. Tell us about your job. I am responsible for the day-to-day operations in two delivery units and two retail off-site facilities, and I manage more than 220 employees. It’s my job to ensure that customers receive excellent service, my employees efficiently perform their duties in a safe manner, and that the Columbia community gets the best level of service possible.

3. What does your typical day look like? I usually start the day at the main office where I am domiciled (I go in and check my email to assess the staffing for the day). I then make any adjustments needed and go out on the workroom floor with the supervisors to assist with getting the mail distributed and the carriers out of the building. I may have meetings or telecoms set up during the course of the day, or I will

5. What don’t people know about the United States Postal Service that they should? How much goes into getting that letter or package delivered to your door.

Most of our executives in the postal service also started at the ground level, a great example being the Postmaster General, Megan Brennan, who started out as a carrier and now has the biggest job in the postal service.

6. What would people be surprised to know about your work? That I’m responsible for the delivery of almost 24,000 packages weekly to over 51,000 delivery points in the three zip code area of Columbia.

7. What are some challenges you face in your work? Staffing — trying to relate to and retain the new generation of employees that we’re seeing come in now. We have a changing mail environment where we used to deal with mainly letters and magazines; now the bulk of our delivery involves packages.

And, finally, safety — making sure our employees go home the same way they came to work.

8. Describe a success you’re most proud of: My proudest success is, as a single parent, having two children graduate from college and having successful careers. The second proudest would be when I was promoted to be the postmaster of Columbia. I left a full-time, permanent job to take a chance with the postal service as a temporary employee. I had limited college education and still accomplished a lot in an organization that has definitely been good to me and my family.

"It’s my job to ensure customers receive excellent service, my employees efficiently perform their duties in a safe manner, and the Columbia community gets the best level of service possible."

9. What’s your ‘why’? What inspires you to get up each day and make a difference? Those employees that I’ve supervised or mentored and know I’ve made a difference in their lives and careers. Not only am I their boss, but I care about the things and accomplishments in their lives. The customers also inspire me to make a difference. I take it personally if we let our customers down. I want them to know that we do care and that, no matter whether it’s a letter or package, every piece matters every day. I can truly say I have met some of the friendliest and most understanding customers in Columbia, and that motivates me to want the best service for them and not to let them down.

10. Tell us something about you that we wouldn’t learn from your resume alone: I am very passionate about the postal service. I believe in our company, and I come to work every day to make it better than the day before, and I take it personally when we don’t. CBT

Check out past questions and answers online at ColumbiaBusinessTimes.com.

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 43

44 OCTOBER 2018

BU SI N ESS • PEO P LE • VOIC ES • F YI

A CA P I TO L CON VER SAT I ON

The McCaskill-Hawley Race

BY KRCG 13’ S K ER M I T M IL L ER

MISSOURI’S AUGUST PRIMARY election produced few surprises, particularly with the race for the U.S. Senate seat currently held by Democrat Claire McCaskill. The incumbent won re-nomination in a walk over six challengers. Republican Josh Hawley, currently the state’s attorney general, garnered more than half the total vote in a field of eleven Republican candidates. It’s the race everyone expected and the race they got.

The general election campaign turned ugly quickly. First, anti-McCaskill ads slammed her for using a private airplane on what was promoted as a bus tour. That was followed by ads spotlighting McCaskill’s votes in favor of tax subsidies by which her husband, Joseph Shepard, has profited. At the same time, anti-Hawley soft money painted the Republican as a tool of corporate masters, spotlighting his acceptance of millions of campaign dollars from Missouri manufacturing tycoon David Humphreys.

Following President Donald Trump’s success in Missouri in 2016, where he carried the state by nearly 20 points, Republican strategists labeled McCaskill vulnerable with a capital V. And while she has maintained a substantial lead in fundraising ($4.3 million to Hawley’s $1.87 million in an April to June report), pollsters have shown the race to be a dead heat.

At this writing, a poll from Missouri Scout puts both candidates at 47 percent.

McCaskill has lived on the political edge for a long time. In her first race for statewide office in 1998, the Democrat convinced enough voters it was not necessary to be a certified public accountant in order to be the state auditor to defeat CPA Chuck Pierce by four points.

In 2004, she unseated incumbent Bob Holden in the Democratic primary for governor only to lose to Republican Matt Blunt by a margin of less than three points. In her first U.S. Senate race in 2006, McCaskill unseated incumbent Jim Talent by a margin of 49.6 percent to 47.3 percent.

By 2012, the continuing shift from blue to red in the Missouri political landscape had pundits predicting a loss for McCaskill at the hands of conservative House member Todd Akin. With the race deadlocked, Akin’s televised comment suggesting female biology prevented the victims of “legitimate rape” from getting pregnant was a campaign gift to McCaskill, and she defeated the Republican by more than 15 points.

No one expects that kind of reversal of fortune in 2018.

Looking forward, both candidates have been pushed to take positions on the issues Missouri voters will see on their November ballots.

Josh Hawley’s entry into the senate race comes two years into his term as state attorney general.

He was among a number of constitutional law attorneys general put in office to do what Republicans in Congress had not done with much success: push back against the Obama administration through lawsuits.

Right-wing news site Breitbart labeled Hawley as (senate majority leader) “Mitch McConnell’s No. 1 Recruit” for the U.S. Senate in 2018.

Hawley has said the Trump White House also

pushed him to get into the race, and the president has made repeated visits to help Hawley raise money. The candidate also has benefited by financial support from the Republican Association of Attorneys General.

Hawley’s short tenure as Missouri Attorney General has been marked by the investigation of former Governor Eric Greitens.

While the Republican argued for transparency and the subpoena power needed to dig deep into the use of a self-deleting messaging app, his political opponents seized on his prior acceptance of campaign dollars from Greitens’ political organization. Hawley’s moves to disconnect from Greitens created tensions within the Republican party. And McCaskill began to talk about Hawley’s lack of prosecutorial acumen, hoping perhaps to trigger an Akin-like implosion. That has not happened.

Looking forward, both candidates have been pushed to take positions on the issues Missouri voters will see on their November ballots. McCaskill has said ‘yes’ to medical marijuana, the gasoline tax increase, a higher minimum wage, and the so-called “Clean Missouri” amendment for campaign contribution limits, lobbyist restrictions, and redistricting reforms.

Hawley initially stepped lightly, saying only that Missouri voters should have a say on all those questions. Eventually, he said he was “inclined to support” at least one of the three medical marijuana proposals.

Republicans currently hold a 51-47 (with two independents) majority over Democrats in the U.S. Senate. The Independent senators caucus with the Democrats. So the McCaskill-Hawley race clearly figures into the political control of the chamber going forward. CBT Kermit is an award-winning 45-year veteran journalist and one of the longest serving members of the Missouri Statehouse press corps.

Kermit Miller anchors the 6 and 10 p.m. news for KRCG 13. You can reach Kermit at kmiller@krcg.com COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 45

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LOCA L P E R S P EC T I VE: M AR K FAR N EN

The program limits the typical upfront investment of the borrower, which provides flexibility.

A ‘Kind of’ Government Loan

BY MA RK FA RN EN

TOO OFTEN, business leaders take a dim view of government programs, as many of them are intended to regulate or control more than they facilitate the easy flow of commerce. But, not all government plans are created equally.

One star in the galaxy of government offerings is the SBA 504 Small Business Loan Program. The program helps provide financing for fixed asset purchases, improvements, and expansions, and it’s designed to augment traditional financing sources on a fixed-rate basis.

What is unusual about the program is that, although it is sponsored and underwritten by the federal Small Business Administration, basic loan approvals are made locally by participating banks and a loan committee made up of professionals from various disciplines. This approval process lets local factors such as job creation goals, local economic reinvigoration, and business retention be included in the criteria used to evaluate loan requests.

Here’s the short version of how the program works in Columbia.

A local Certified Development Corporation was established in Columbia to administer the SBA 504 program. It was formed with the goal of promoting economic development on a hyperlocal basis. It is a direct loan program, not a loan guarantee construct, but the total value of the loan is shared between a local lending institution, the borrower, and the government.

In most cases, a bank provides 50 percent of the requested financing; the SBA provides a separate, linked loan covering 40 percent; and the borrower provides the remaining 10 percent required for the project to go forward.

For cases involving special-use properties or startups, the borrower may have to provide up to 20 percent.

The loans can only be used for fixed or capital assets like land, buildings, or equipment, and the loan applicant must either occupy or directly utilize the majority of the property. Other lines of credit and bridge loans can be provided separately at the discretion of the primary private lender. The loan cannot be used for operating capital or land speculation situations.

This is not a microloan fund. Most loan applications start at a minimum of $250,000, and many exceed the $1 million mark. The fixed assets financed serve as collateral for the SBA portion of the loan, so favorable appraisals of land or buildings involved are required.

Every loan must be considered to be creditworthy, since no one wants any business to fail by taking on too much debt at the wrong time, and every loan should be able to demonstrate credible management ability.

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 47

LO CAL PE R S P EC T I V E : MA R K FA R N E N

So who approves the loan? Think of this program as two linked loans. The bank approves the first 50 percent of the overall project through its regular processes using standard banking criteria and regulations.

The bank sets its loan rate based on prevailing federal rates and other factors.

The next 40 percent of the loan is reviewed by the local CDC. The rate for that part of the loan request is tied to the treasury bond rate and remains fixed for the life of the loan (as of this writing, it’s 5.3 percent on a 20-year term). The term of the loan can be 10, 20, or 25 years, depending on the nature of the collateral being financed.

The Enterprise Development Corporation has been established as the CDC for our area.

It is a nonprofit corporation, not a direct arm of the government, but it is approved by the SBA to act as their intermediary for the SBA 504 loan program and thus is responsible for assisting the small business owner through all steps of the loan process: loan review, approval, closing, funding, and loan servicing.

The EDC board acts as the loan committee.

Board members serve on an unpaid, voluntary basis and represent various communities and professions in central Missouri.

The paid EDC staff provides day-today assistance and loan servicing support to borrowers. The staff is paid through origination fees charged to the borrower, which are rolled into the loan. Collectively, the board and staff help apply the national SBA program standards in a way that best fits and helps the local communities.

While this program may not work for every borrower in every situation, it can provide several benefits to the people and institutions who choose this path.

One benefit is that because the government shares the loan with a local bank, it reduces risk and expands the loan capacity of the participating bank. The local bank is given first position for the 50 percent loan they make, so in the event of a default, they get their money back first. The SBA takes a second position on its 40 percent loan, but the default rate on loans made through this program is very, very low.

This program also limits the typical upfront investment of the borrower, which provides flexibility for managing other standard business costs and investments.

The second major benefit is that borrowers are able to lock in fixed loan rates for the life of the SBA portion of the loan. That provides a hedge against inflation or rising rates and does not constrict the bank from lending on its own terms according to standard business practice.

As mentioned earlier, any SBA fees are rolled into the total amount of the SBA 504 loan, making the ongoing loan servicing more convenient and efficient for the borrower.

Finally, this program provides a benefit to the community. Job creation and retention, reasonable business expansion, and the encouragement of entrepreneurial endeavors were the original goals of the program, and those kinds of positive economic development impacts can be seen throughout the communities the EDC serves.

When the EDC was first established, it confined its service area to seven central Missouri counties; however, due to changes in the rules, the EDC is now eligible to make loans anywhere in the state.

To date, the EDC has made loans to more than 200 businesses, therefore creating and retaining thousands of jobs throughout central Missouri. In each case, the loans were made in cooperation, not in competition, with existing lending institutions. That’s why almost every SBA 504 loan in this market has originated with the borrower’s preferred financial institution.

Anthony Stanton, a member of Columbia’s Planning and Zoning Commission, is wellknown for looking for “win-win” situations when it comes to land use planning. The SBA 504 program goes one step further in the financial world, creating a “win-win-win” situation benefiting borrowers, lenders, and the community at large.

If you have a project that could benefit from fixed rates, shared risk, and a potentially low borrower downstroke, contact your local bank. Unlike the old joke, they are only kind of from the government — and they are here to help you. CBT

Mark Farnen is co-founder of Strategists LLC and publisher of CityWatch.

48 OCTOBER 2018

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B USINESS • PEOPLE • VOIC ES • F YI

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An Economic Catalyst

BY A LEXA N DER C A RT W R I G HT | P HOTOG R A P H Y P R OV I DE D BY M U

AS WE CHART OUR FUTURE AT MU, we are focusing our energy on providing a worldclass, comprehensive education at an affordable price, enhancing the student experience, and creating an environment that fosters interdisciplinary research and creative works.

These goals are likely no surprise to the citizens of Missouri. MU’s graduates are creating jobs and making a difference at the highest levels in business, government, and the arts. Our graduates include current and former top leaders at companies across the country, including Edward Jones Investments, Panda Express, Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., Scottrade, and Yum! Brands.

People may not know, however, that in addition to producing thousands of college graduates each year, the university drives economic prosperity in the state. According to a recent study, MU directly and indirectly supports more than 46,000 jobs and has a $3.9 billion impact across Missouri. And we have plans to increase that contribution.

We’ve begun implementing a plan to double MU’s research funding from external sources in the next five years. This growth will significantly impact the local economy, bringing an increase in purchased goods and services and attracting more professionals to Missouri. For every external research dollar, we add to the economy by seven dollars.

There are many reasons MU makes Columbia a destination for young professionals, from our vibrant and growing arts programs to our nationally-ranked sports teams. But scientists and doctors around the world also know us for our research and related economic development.

Our MU Research Reactor — the most powerful research reactor on a college campus — serves as a multidisciplinary research laboratory that is also supported by industry-sponsored research and development. The reactor currently supplies radioisotopes to researchers and medical companies worldwide that aid in the development of diagnostics and life-saving treatments for cancer and other diseases.

One such isotope, lutetium-177, is the active ingredient in Lutathera, a first-of-its-kind cancer treatment developed by Advanced Accelerator Applications with support from MU researchers.

The company recently was acquired by Novartis for $3.9 billion, and our reactor is the sole North American supplier of the isotope to the company.

Now we’re pursuing the Translational Precision Medicine Complex, a planned $200 million-plus facility that will open in 2021. The facility will draw talent and funding to further create industry partnerships while giving our students and researchers unparalleled educational opportunities. This work, focusing on major problems in oncology, vascular diseases, and neurological diseases will be done in partnership with MU Health Care, ensuring that breakthroughs in the lab can be translated to better care at the bedside.

With innovation comes intellectual property, and steps are being taken to ensure that the inventions and discoveries made every day at MU are protected. More importantly, we’re developing mechanisms for translating these inventions — including life-saving medical treatments, weather forecasting technology, and smartphone apps that improve quality of life in so many ways — so that they can benefit society.

In this work, we are also directly reaching out and engaging with our citizens to understand their needs. That spirit informs our ongoing efforts to help Missourians launch new businesses and patent their ideas through programs such as the MU Entrepreneurship Legal Clinic, which provides legal services to start-up businesses, and MU Extension’s Business Development Program. Just last year, the work of this program resulted in a nearly $600 million increase in sales for Missouri businesses and the creation or retention of more than 8,000 jobs.

Research universities like MU are known for their contributions to the economic prosperity in the communities around them as hubs of research, innovation, and culture. We are proud to work with our many partners at agencies and other institutions toward the shared goals of attracting new companies, meeting industry challenges, spurring research and innovation, and educating our state’s future leaders. CBT

Alexander Cartwright has served as the University of Missouri’s chancellor since late 2017.

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 51

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“Regardless of

MIDWAY AUTO TR UC K P LA ZA

who you are, how PROP

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many people you employ, and

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how much dough

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you’re rolling in, government

The Henderson Branch Decision

BY A L GERMON D

WELL, THEY HAVE DONE IT AGAIN! The mayor of Columbia and his troika of acolytes have cut another notch in their totems of dubious achievements.

The project to fix the Henderson Branch sewer washed away amidst a flurry of misinformation by a 4–3 vote just hours before sunrise a few weeks ago at a city council meeting.

Kicked around for five years, the failure of this project to pass the second time around joins other recent city council fiascoes including the CVS zoning, waffling on power line routing, a sudden change of mind on where to locate the new airline terminal, and the universal development code no one seems to understand that has brought new residential subdivision development to a standstill.

Perched safely outside the moat, one area official believes some of these people are related to Lucifer. Well, go look that one up.

officials don't take a liking to threats and other musings of intimidation

In the aftermath of the Henderson Branch decision, charges and counter-charges continue to fly. Semantic questions linger about the specificity of the ballot language when the matter came up for vote in an omnibus “let’s fix the sewers” proposal that was overwhelmingly approved by Columbia voters on November 5, 2013.

One participant with a direct connection to fixing the problem behaved rather immaturely, with threats to move his entire enterprise to another state if the city reneged on the matter. That didn’t help.

Regardless of who you are, how many people you employ, and how much dough you’re rolling in, government officials don't take a liking to threats and other musings of intimidation because it just doesn’t work.

The delicious irony about the anti-growth activities of this quartet on the city council is that while city officials and others fret about impending financial exigencies in the face

because it just doesn’t work.” of languid revenue growth, this quartet of negativists boldly legislates against anything that would fortify the city’s financial picture.

How stupid can they be to spurn adding another interstate highway exit (Midway — exit 121) to the city limits where growth and a bounty of tax revenue from several sources would ease the strain on municipal finances?

Anytime a new sewer is built, the savings realized from state-of-the-art construction requiring minimal maintenance finances the replacement or reconstruction of old lines, many of them a century or more old.

Finally, there ought to be a law about the length of council meetings. Adjourning at 2:45 a.m. — are you kidding? CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 53

Da n Atwill and Mat t C avan au gh

54 OCTOBER 2018

Don’t Be So Serious Get to know a few of the candidates running for Boone County offices, a state representative seat, and a U.S. representative seat.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ANTHONY JINSON

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 55

Brianna Lennon Boone County Clerk

“My biggest priority is making sure that we have a very votercentric clerk’s office that’s going to make it easy for people to vote.”

BY JENNIFER TRUESDALE “My biggest priority is making sure that we have a very voter-centric clerk’s office that’s going to make it easy for people to vote. Make it accessible and make it simple,” says Brianna Lennon, the Democratic candidate running for Boone County Clerk. “We have a history in Boone County of having really on-top-of-it, voter-centric elections, and that’s what I want to ensure continues to happen.”

Lennon, 32, is an election law attorney in Columbia. She served in the Missouri Secretary of State’s office, first as elections counsel and the first coordinator of the Elections Integrity Unit and then as deputy director of elections, from 2013 to 2015. During her time at the secretary of state’s office, she worked with longtime Boone County clerk Wendy Noren. Prior to that, Lennon was a Missouri assistant attorney general. This is her second run for public office; she ran unsuccessfully for Boone County Southern District Commissioner in 2016.

Lennon outlines her holistic approach to voting and election operations on her campaign website. In one blog post, she details a threehour experience riding public transit that opened her eyes to how difficult it may be for some voters to get to the polls, even with free bus rides offered on election days. If elected, she’d like to assess the current precincts that determine polling locations for voters.

“When you’re looking holistically at operating an election, what’s going to work best for voters has to be one of the first things that you think about,” Lennon says. “One of the trends we’re seeing nationwide in elections administration is voting centers and central polling locations. Instead of having these precincts that are tied to our houses, they’re instead tied to where we are naturally, like workplaces.”

Lennon also thinks that upgrading the county’s electronic voting equipment and reinforcing cybersecurity is essential to sound election operations.

56 OCTOBER 2018

“Protecting the integrity of our elections is critical to building back trust in our government,” Lennon says on her website. “Boone County’s voting equipment is aging and needs to be replaced. We need accurate and secure machines just as much as we need honest and impartial election workers.”

Lennon says she will “be proactive in getting timely and easy-to-understand information” to voters about registering to vote, finding your polling place, and understanding who and what will appear on the ballot to make voting as simple as possible.

“We need a clerk who cares very deeply about the public and what their experience is with the office,” Lennon says. “And that’s the kind of mindset that I bring.”

Lennon received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Truman State University. She earned her juris doctorate and master’s degree in public affairs jointly from the MU School of Law and MU’s Truman School of Public Affairs.

Taylor Burks

“One of the things I’ve done as county clerk is try to implement bipartisan checks within this office.”

Boone County Clerk

BY JENNIFER TRUESDALE “I’ve always been interested in serving,” says Taylor Burks, a 32-year-old U.S. Navy veteran currently serving as Boone County Clerk.

Burks was appointed county clerk by former Governor Eric Greitens in July 2017 after Wendy Noren stepped down for health reasons following 35 years in office. This is the first public office Burks has held, and he is the first Republican to serve as Boone County Clerk in the office’s nearly 200-year history.

“It certainly is sobering to step in and try to learn from what Wendy did and carry the mantle that she left behind,” Burks says. “I’m aware of that every day. Today we’re running reports that Wendy used to run. Every day that I’m in the job, I figure out another layer of what she did and how she did it.”

After his time in the Navy, the Neosho, Missouri, native was a business manager at MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital and then director of logistics and asset management for the UM System. He ran unsuccessfully for the Boone Hospital Center Board of Trustees in 2017 and planned to run again until being appointed county clerk.

Now with four elections under his belt, including the August primary that yielded an impressive 37.2 percent voter turnout, Burks and his staff are busy preparing for the November election as he also campaigns to keep his office for the next four years. If elected, his first priority will be to replace the county’s current 12-year-old electronic voting machines, which he estimates will cost around $1 million.

“Obviously, 2020 is going to be a big presidential election year. It makes more sense to [implement the new equipment] next year so that we’re not trying to do it the midst of a presidential election.”

Burks says that by increasing the efficiency of operations at the clerk’s office this past year, he’s been able to save about $250,000 toward the purchase of that equipment. As co-chair of the Missouri

Association of County Clerks Cybersecurity Task Force, protecting elections from cybersecurity threats is also top of mind for Burks.

Burks feels that the experience in office he has gained over the last 15 months gives him an edge in the election, for which he is expecting 60 to 65 percent voter turnout.

“My first year as county clerk has only been successful because of the fantastic staff that we have in the clerk’s office,” Burks says, adding that bipartisanship has also helped his success. “One of the things I’ve done as county clerk is try to implement bipartisan checks within this office.

Even if I wasn’t on the ballot, I want people to trust that the office that we’re running has a voice and has an opinion for people who don’t just think like me as a Republican.”

Burks has lived in Columbia since 2007. He completed his bachelor’s degree in justice systems from Truman State University, and earned a master’s degree in administrative leadership from the University of Oklahoma and a master’s in accounting from Washington University.

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 57

Dan Atwill Boone County Presiding Commissioner

“Everywhere I go to talk to businesses, they can’t get enough employees.

Part of that’s national, but we can affect it here with better transportation and affordable housing.”

BY ROBERT OVERMANN

With the exception of four years spent in the Air Force as a JAG officer, Dan Atwill has called Columbia home since 1965. Having practiced law for more than 40 years and served as Boone County’s presiding commissioner since 2011, Atwill is asking voters to re-elect him on the basis of his experience, infrastructure projects, and economic development work.

Atwill emphasizes that, while maintaining the county’s 800 miles of road is an essential part of the job, he is focused on bringing new business to the county through tax incentives.

He points to the commission’s success in using tax abatement agreements to attract Aurora Organic Dairy and American Outdoor Brands to the county.

If he secures another term, Atwill hopes to negotiate a similar Chapter 100 bond arrangement with Northwest Medical Isotopes, which plans to build a radioisotope production center in Columbia to be near the MU Research Reactor. Atwill expects the facility would create about 100 new jobs and that the newly generated tax revenue, most of which would support local schools, would outweigh the additional strain on education and infrastructure. “Plus, this [molybdenum-99, the most prominent radioisotope the business would work with] product is not currently made in the United States, so this is a big deal,” Atwill adds.

Atwill views economic development as tightly tied with other commission responsibilities, such as road maintenance. He hopes to benefit rural businesses while reducing maintenance costs by altering the material mixture used in the county’s gravel roads. He argues that access to transportation, economic opportunity, and affordable housing would decrease the county’s law enforcement needs.

Beyond economic development and transportation, a somewhat unusual county issue has claimed much of Atwill’s attention as presiding commissioner: the Central Missouri Events Center. “If there’s anything 58 OCTOBER 2018

I’d like to do, it’s to solve that issue,” he says. “It’s not a legal obligation of the county, but people have come to think it is. Nothing has absorbed my time or energy in my six years more so than that property.”

While Atwill is pleased that Veterans United Home Loans is currently leasing and maintaining part of the CMEC property, he continues to search for a financially stable solution, including potential partnerships with private or public entities. Until then, he views the land, which was purchased for $2.6 million in 1999 and recently appraised at $3.3 million, as an investment in the county’s future.

Atwill is also focused on finding a sustainable solution to the financial challenges of Boone County Hospital, though he doesn’t see an easy answer ahead. “I think the best thing for the trustees to do is to look at the options that are available in more detail. Our biggest interest is seeing the tradition of excellent services is kept in place.”

Still, Atwill, who regularly meets with other Missouri county commissioners, says he is grateful that Boone County’s challenges are what they are. “Many counties are losing population and revenue, and those would be much more difficult problems than the problems we have,” he says.

“How do you make a budget for declining revenue? They would love to have our problems.”

Matt Cavanaugh

“I don’t need the work; I don’t need the job.

I want the job. I care.

I live here.”

Boone County Presiding Commissioner

BY ROBERT OVERMANN

When he returned to Boone County from Honduras in 2013, Matt Cavanaugh traded building beachfront resorts for a new mission: changing the culture and financial priorities of county government. After making an unsuccessful bid for Southern District commissioner in 2016, Cavanaugh is now running for presiding commissioner on a platform of improved transparency and stewardship of county resources.

Cavanaugh points to two particular county assets — the Central Missouri Events Center, popularly known as the county fairgrounds, and Boone Hospital Center — as posterchildren of poor management by the county commission, but he stresses that he has others in mind as well. “When I say utilizing county assets to their fullest potential, I mean county revenue, land, buildings, and people,” Cavanaugh explains.

While the CMEC is currently being leased to Veterans United, Cavanaugh proposes leasing other highway-facing tracts of the 134-acre property to roadside businesses like hotels and restaurants. With the remaining property, he suggests building event infrastructure.

“You could put Roots N Blues out there,” Cavanaugh suggests. “You could do gun shows, mule shows, antique auto shows, breed-specific cattle shows.

If you get 100 events a year out there, do you know what kind of revenue we’re talking about?”

Cavanaugh is less optimistic about the future of Boone Hospital Center. Acknowledging that national health care trends have put fiscal pressure on the hospital, Cavanaugh contends that the Hospital Board of Trustees is worsening the hospital’s financial woes with misguided investments, such as the $23 million Nifong Medical Plaza.

“I don’t know what the best answer is [for the hospital],” Cavanaugh admits. “It’s uncertain, and that’s the best answer I can tell you. It’s so far down the road now that anything we do is crisis management.”

Still, Cavanaugh views keeping the hospital open as one of the county’s greatest priorities. He would “put pressure” on the board of trustees via the commission’s liaison, a role currently held by presiding commissioner Dan Atwill, to seek a plan and a future for the hospital.

He argues that the hospital’s continued operation is critical for the well-being of central Missourians because state funding for MU — including MU Health — is tied to university enrollment figures, which declined by 35 percent in the two years following racially charged campus protests in 2015, although enrollment ticked back up by about 15 percent this fall.

Cavanaugh contrasts what he sees as wasteful county spending with his own business acumen.

Cavanaugh founded Magnum Oil and Gas in his native Colorado at age 21. By 24, he had more than 55 employees and was selling more than $1 million per month of natural gas. After moving to Columbia in 1990 to study economics and Japanese, he split his time between Columbia, where he bought and renovated residential properties, and Latin America, where he developed off-the-grid retreats.

“I have the qualifications, the education, and the will to do [the work of presiding commissioner],” Cavanaugh says. “I want to learn about development from the public aspect. That’s the truth of it. There’s a lot to learn here.”

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 59

Nora Dietzel Recorder of Deeds

Bio: I have 22 years of experience in the recorder of deeds office. Prior to being elected, I served as the lead deputy for 10 years. I currently serve as the recorders’ division director for the International Association of Government Officials, and I’m also a member of the Recorders Association of Missouri, Property Records Industry Association, and the Missouri Housing Industry Association.

Years lived in Mid-Missouri: 43 years.

Professional experience: 10 years in banking, 18 years as a deputy recorder of deeds, four years as Recorder of Deeds.

Cups of coffee in the morning: One or two cups of coffee or tea.

Why should citizens vote for you?

I have extensive budget and financial experience and have worked hard to be an informed leader in technology and processes that impact our precious public records. I am an engaged advocate for Boone County and for all Missouri recorders with the legislature.

Where do you stand on the economy? Boone County has been fortunate that it hasn’t been as severely impacted by economic downturns in recent years. I am, however, very concerned about the impact of tariffs on our local farmers now and in the future. The struggles that 60 OCTOBER 2018

Photo provided by Nora Dietzel

MU has experienced in the past few years are also a factor that could have a negative impact on our local economy. The entire community benefits when the university is doing well.

What does a Saturday spent in Columbia look like? Breakfast with grandkids and doing yardwork or an outdoor activity, like swimming or bicycling.

Fun fact: I am a singer and actress in local community theatre productions.

If re-elected, how will you fight for businesses? I consider the businesses in the land title and financial industries to be my partners in serving Boone County.

Listening to their needs and making their job easier where I can are essential ways that I can make land transactions better for citizens. As a small business owner, I am keenly aware of the struggles that businesses face in today’s online market. I feel that imposing local sales tax on online purchases would level the playing field for local merchants.

Lisa Ballenger Recorder of Deeds

Bio: My husband, Gary, and I live on a small farm east of Columbia. We are part of a small family business known as Ballenger Propane Inc. We have four adult children and two grandchildren. When I’m not working, I enjoy many things, but mostly painting with watercolors and creating glass and acrylic art designs.

Years lived in Mid-Missouri: 37 years.

Professional experience: I worked with Walmart Stores Inc. from 1981 to 1990 and in the Boone County Recorder of Deeds office 1991 to present. In 1981, I was set to attend Moberly Area Community College in the fall, but I accepted a fulltime position at Wal-Mart instead. I started out as a cashier and moved my way up to advertising coordinator for the three Columbia stores. In 1991, I was hired as a deputy recorder. I have 27 years of on-the-job experience. I have attended conferences for IACREAT-IGO, which is a professional organization for government officials, and the Recorders Association of Missouri for additional education.

Why should citizens vote for you?

I have more than 27 years of on-the-job experience, skills, knowledge, and a good work ethic to lead the office. I have built relationships with many businesses that frequent the recorder’s office. I was trained and mentored by Sam Walton and Bettie Johnson, two great leaders that knew how to motivate and inspire you to be the best you can be at everything you do. I want to lead

Photo provided by Lisa Ballenger

just like them. I believe asking the voters to elect me to be their recorder of deeds means being a good steward of their tax dollars. I will commit to be in the office fulltime to fulfill the duties of the position. This includes being there for the staff, working alongside them, and prioritizing the responsibilities the office demands. I also have a great rapport with the other county officials, and it’s essential that we all work together for the betterment of the county.

What does a Saturday spent in Columbia look like? I work in Columbia but live in the country, so unless something is going on that I’d like to attend, my Saturday is usually spent at home enjoying time with my family and painting.

Fun fact: I knew Sam Walton personally, and took his dad, Grandpa Tom, around the store to fill his shopping list.

Cups of coffee in the morning: Depends on my day, but usually around two.

If elected, how will you fight for businesses? Our county website is a big source of information that is provided for the public and utilized daily by many businesses. I will keep current with technology and legislation to implement changes needed to run the recorder’s office, which helps the consumer. The recorder’s office also correlates with the assessor and the collector, working together as a threepronged government.

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 61

Renee Hoagenson United States Representative District 4

Bio: An entrepreneur and small business owner, my career includes publishing and consulting with hundreds of Missouri small business owners. In Congress, I’m committed to eliminating red tape and helping small businesses start up and grow. Entrepreneurs and small business owners are some of the best job creators — I know because I am one!

Years lived in Mid-Missouri: 40 years.

Professional experience: I have started and sold three successful magazine businesses in Columbia, Jefferson City, and Sedalia.

Fun fact: How can I put this? El Maguey.

Twice a week. Except when I have it three times.

Cups of coffee in the morning: I only have one pot of coffee each morning.

What does a Saturday spent in Columbia look like? A great Saturday includes getting to the Columbia Farmers Market. I really enjoy cooking, and using locally grown foods adds to it. On a Saturday afternoon, my kids and I enjoy downtown Columbia. If it’s a football Saturday, nothing beats Mizzou on Faurot Field!

Why should citizens vote for you?

Congress is in chaos, and the only way to change it is to change the people we send there.

This current congress remains apathetic to the chaos, or worse yet, seems to support it.

62 OCTOBER 2018

Photo provided by Renee Hoagenson

As our next congresswoman, I’m committed to getting our government back on track to serve the people again, as it was intended.

It’s the primary reason I’m running. I believe we need what I call house-cleaning reforms: campaign finance reform, lobbying reform, and redistricting reform. Concurrently, we need to fix the foundation for families by giving them living wages, affordable and accessible healthcare, and quality education for our children. In Congress, I will be a voice for working families, not the mega-wealthy.

Medicare needs to be protected and expanded.

Where do you stand on the economy? More people need to be making more money. That means we set a low interest rate for student loans and make job training accessible to more people. We need to tamp down the cost of healthcare and prescription drugs so families have more money in their

pocket and access to care. And we need to stop piling on to the national debt.

If elected, how will you fight for businesses? For me, fighting for business is personal. I know first-hand how it feels to start your own small business — it can be scary. You lose your safety net. There’s not a huge office full of people and an accounting department and an HR department and someone on site to do your taxes and manage your health care options. You’re on your own. Small business owners are some of the most courageous people I know. Many of these folks invest everything in their ideas. Creating and growing a small business should be an opportunity for anyone who wants to do the work.

Renee Hoagenson will be running against incumbent Vicky Hartzler. Hartzler's responses were not available by press time.

Sara Walsh State Representative District 50

Bio: I was born in California, and moved to Missouri in 1986. I reside in Ashland with my husband, Steve. I serve on the following committees in the Missouri House of Representatives: budget; the subcommittee on appropriations for public safety, corrections, transportation, and revenue; the Joint Committee on Child Abuse and Neglect; pensions; the Special Committee on Employment Security; and the Special Committee to Improve the Care and Well-being of Young People.

Years lived in Mid-Missouri: 32 years.

Professional experience: I worked fulltime while earning an undergraduate degree in business administration from Columbia College and a master’s degree in public affairs with a specialization in nonprofit management and public management from the Truman School of Public Affairs at MU. I currently serve as treasurer of Heritage Baptist Church in Columbia, where my husband and I participate in various community outreach efforts.

Where do you stand on the economy?

I fully support President Trump’s tax reform and job creation package, which has cut taxes for individuals and businesses. The corporate tax rate in America was among the highest in the world and President Trump has lowered it from 35 percent to 21 percent. As a Missourian who personally experienced a factory layoff where my job and hundreds more went to the country

Photo provided by Sara Walsh

of Mexico, I believe it’s imperative that we encourage American businesses through lower taxes and fewer burdensome regulations to keep and bring jobs back in the United States.

What does a Saturday spent in Columbia look like? During campaign season, Saturdays usually include going doorto-door, attending events and meet-andgreets, and answering constituent calls. I’m sure Shakespeare’s is always somewhere in the equation.

Why should we vote for you? I’m a hard worker who is committed to serving fulltime as a state representative for the people of Missouri’s 50th District. When the legislature is not in session, I’m likely to be found in one of the district’s four counties listening to concerns and working together towards solutions. In addition to my education, I have a well-rounded background having worked in all three sectors of the workforce (public, private, and nonprofit)

and have invested many hours in the MidMissouri community through volunteer efforts.

Cups of coffee in the morning: Zero to two followed by sugar-free caffeinated soft drinks late into the evening.

Fun fact: I really love dogs. I often carry dog biscuits in my pocket.

If re-elected, how will you fight for businesses? Our businesses are the economic engines of our community. I supported efforts this past legislative session that will help businesses (including agricultural businesses) and the families who founded them. I will continue to prioritize workforce development and support collaborative efforts with job creators in our community.

Sara Walsh will be running against Michela Skelton. Skelton's responses were not available by press time. CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 63

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Fitting the Pieces Together

Laying out key components to the city's budget creation process.

By Emma Bentley

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 65

S

eptember 30 brings an end to the 2018 fiscal year for Columbia, and while we won’t know where the budget ended in terms of actual numbers for another four months, the city cannot wait that long before implementing a new budget. And so the 2019 fiscal year begins.

While this topic may make some people break out in hives, the city’s budget is something Laura Peveler takes great pride in. She has worked in Columbia’s budgeting office since 1989 and has served as the budget officer since 1997. She jokingly refers to each budget as a “budget baby” because it takes about nine months to produce.

What’s happening in those nine months?

The answer isn’t short or easy to explain.

The city’s budget office has devoted videos, resources, and pages on the city government’s website to try and explain it, but condensing an almost 700-page document with 52 separate departmental and divisional budgets into an easy-to-digest explanation is almost impossible.

But paying attention to supporting documents like the 10-year trend manual and fiveyear forecasts and understanding where the funds for the budget come from can help eliminate confusion and increase understanding of the budget.

THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS Peveler says, “There’s pretty much something going on every month” in terms of developing the budget, but the largest push internally happens January through July. This six-month period is filled with meetings involving the city manager, council members, and department managers. Documents that support and influence the budget are also created during this time.

66 OCTOBER 2018

One such document, the 10-year trend manual, looks at information from the past 10 years: population trends, age of the population, financial trends, median income, and the unemployment rate. An analysis is then performed to determine if a trend is positive or negative and if the city needs to make any adjustments in either the current or future budget based on those trends.

Once the trend manual is completed, it goes to the city council members for review.

The trend manual sets the tone for the council moving forward since they can now clearly see issues, concerns, things on the horizon, and things they need to address in the budget.

The five-year forecasts go hand-in-hand with the trend manual. Columbia’s departments use five-year forecasts to “look at not just where we ended up last year or where we think our needs are next year, but we project out four more years,” says Peveler.

Peveler sees the forecasts as a strength for how the city creates their budget because “it allows us to plan ahead for our future operational and capital project needs and allows for more gradual fee and rate increases for the citizens,” she says. Capital projects are often quite costly, so the city needs to plan ahead for those expense — if the solid waste department needs to open a new landfill cell, for example, the city needs to start preparing for that expense a few years before actually beginning the project.

“If solid waste needs to open a new landfill cell in the next five years, it may look like they have a lot of money in their account right now,” Peveler says. But what citizens may not understand is that in order to build the landfill cell, the solid waste department will need a set monetary amount in order to fund the project, and that money is saved up in their account along with the money for day-to-day operations. The department has to save up all the money for the

project before they can sign a contract for the construction of the project, she explains.

City Manager Mike Matthes explains that “almost every project has more than one revenue source funding it, which gives a level of complexity a lot of small businesses don’t necessarily face.” Small businesses, after all, typically have one source of revenue: customers.

“We’ll have upwards of four or five different revenue sources in a project. And that’s not necessarily a good thing,” Matthes says.

Having so many revenue sources means projects take longer to fund and they have to save up for projects over time. “Once we have enough [money] to do the project, then we’ll do it,” Matthes continues. “So, it makes it look, in many of our budgets, that we’re deficit spending, that we’re spending more than we’re bringing in that year, but it’s usually because we’re using our savings to do a project.”

UNDERSTANDING THE FUNDS Funding for some departments, such as parks and recreation, typically comes from special taxes approved by voters. Revenue from those taxes goes into that department’s dedicated funding bucket and the money will only be used for the expenses related to that department. Another example of dedicated funding is grants.

General source funding is the other type of funding for departments in the general fund.

Sales tax, gross receipt taxes, and property tax revenue are examples of sources that fund this bucket, with sales taxes providing the largest percentage of funding. These funds can be allocated to any general fund budget. General source funding is therefore very dependent on consumers shopping locally in order to bring in the revenue the city needs to fund their expenses.

OCTOBER • Fiscal year begins.

• Budget document and capital improvement projects document placed on the city’s website.

NOVEMBER – JANUARY • 10 Year Trend Manual prepared.

• External auditors perform audit of last year’s financial information.

• Departments identify new capital projects.

FEBRUARY • Combined Annual Financial Report is finalized and put on the city’s website.

• City manager reviews capital improvement projects with departments.

• City manager develops budget guidelines for departments.

• Budget staff develops intragovernmental charges for next fiscal year.

AUGUST – SEPTEMBER • Public hearings and work sessions held to review departmental budgets.

• Budget amendments prepared.

• Council adopts the budget at the second city council meeting in September.

• Adopted budget document and capital improvement projects document prepared.

CITY OF COLUMBIA BUDGET

MARCH – APRIL • Capital improvement projects draft prepared and given to Planning and Zoning Commission to review and comment.

• Council retreat: review year-end financials, strategic plan, and councilrecommended topics.

• Departments prepare budget estimates for the current fiscal year and the next fiscal year.

PROCESS MAY JULY • Public hearing on the capital improvement projects for next year.

• City manager makes final budget decisions.

• Proposed budget document prepared and distributed to city council, press, employees, and the public.

JUNE • City manager meets with each department to review their budget estimates for the rest of this fiscal year and next year.

• Council mini-retreat to review capital improvement projects draft, 6-month financial information, and budget issues for the next fiscal year.

• Additional revenue forecasting prepared.

• Budget staff reviews departmental budgets and meets with each department.

• City manager presents State of the City report.

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 67

Matthes says, “We have multiple revenue sources, but they’re all small comparatively.

Most of our eggs are in one basket.” That basket is the city’s sales tax.

Ninety-nine percent of funding for the city’s public safety — fire and police — is generated through general funding, which comes from property and sales tax revenue. That’s why when consumers don’t shop locally, revenue for these services go down. Police and fire departments are unable to purchase new equipment, provide needed trainings, add positions, and offer competitive salaries.

“We lose a little [sales tax revenue] every year.

It’s due to the fact that we’re all using the internet so much for our shopping,” says Matthes.

There’s nothing wrong with shopping online.

Matthes is quick to admit that he does it too, but “the unfortunate, unintended side effect is that we’re de-funding police, fire, parks, sidewalks, roads, the airport, transit, and everything else.”

On the other end of the spectrum you have transportation ­ — streets and sidewalks — which is only eight percent funded through general sources. They are 92 percent funded through dedicated funding, like the transportation taxes consumers pay when they shop in Columbia. But because those funds are dedicated to a specific focus area, they can’t be shifted to another department like police or fire.

68 OCTOBER 2018

“WE HAVE MULTIPLE REVENUE SOURCES, BUT THEY ARE ALL SMALL COMPARATIVELY. MOST OF OUR EGGS ARE IN ONE BASKET.” - M I K E M AT T H E S , C I T Y M A N AG E R

THE COMMUNITY’S INVOLVEMENT A benefit to the budget that Peveler, Matthes, and council member Matt Pitzer all agree on is that Columbia’s citizens have a chance to present their support, objections, and questions over the budget on many occasions while the budget is being finalized during August and September. The City Council takes that input and makes amendments to the budget before it is adopted at the second meeting in September.

Pitzer says, “The benefit for [the city council’s] part of the process is allowing for citizen input and engagement in the process. That’s our role — to collect that input and feedback and make sure that the priorities and perspectives of the residents are reflected in the budget that is ultimately passed.”

Ultimately, the hope is that the budget that is created reflects the desires and needs of the people of Columbia. It takes around 700 pages, nine months, and too many meetings to count in order to birth the budget baby. CBT

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Stamp of Approval Should the city's finances be audited by the state auditor?

BY M E G A N W H I TE H E A D

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 71

THE RED FLAGS

“I think the cause for concern came from the combination of a complex budgeting process, growing cash reserves in multiple funds, and difficulty in providing essential city services and employee pay due to a lack of growth in sales tax revenue,” says Pitzer.

First, Columbia has what is known as a pooled cash account. This account consists of a 20 percent reserve fund taken from the annual budget in case of emergencies as well as specific operating costs for operations such as railroads, police, sewers, and more. Columbia’s pooled cash account is kept in a bank owned by a Swiss company.

“That makes it sound like we have offshore accounts with no accountability,” says Ward 2 council member Michael Trapp. “In response to [Columbians’ concerns], we took some work session time to explore the pooled cash account in depth.”

The results of this exploration, plus the results of the independent financial audit performed every year, found no issues.

72 OCTOBER 2018

Second, Columbia has a structural financing problem. According to the findings of the first work session conducted by the city, “Revenues per capita in constant dollars decreased 25.9 percent over the past 10 years due to the economic downtown in fiscal year 2009 and growth in online sales, which do not collect local sales taxes.”

The report goes on to monetize the amount of money lost due to online shopping over the past 10 years — $13.5 million. In 2017 alone, the city lost an estimated $2.26 million. Columbia has a fairly high sales tax rate in order to keep property taxes at one of the lowest rates in Missouri; with local sales losing out to online sales, revenues from sales tax cannot keep up with expenditures.

“That explains why we’ve not been able to keep up with the needs of growing our police and fire departments,” says Trapp.

“We have put all our extra money into adding police officers, and everything else has been in decline. Our priorities mirror the priorities of the voters, but people feel that they are overtaxed.”

Third, “We have made some onetime expenditures that have looked to some part of the electorate as frivolous,” says Trapp. Though, in recent years, “frivolous” expenditures have not added up to the cost of adding even one police officer — $6 million.

WHAT IT IS

After a petition calling for an audit, an audit process ensues. This process includes six steps to ensure every detail is gathered.

The first step (entrance meeting) involves auditors and auditees meeting to make sure all questions or concerns are addressed by and for both parties.

Next, and probably the most laborious, is the “field work” step. All necessary documents are collected and analyzed.

This includes meeting minutes, written policies and procedures, and, of course, financial records.

After everything is gathered, “report preparation” begins, in which a report is drafted and reviewed. Then an exit meeting is held in which the auditee receives the reviewed report and discusses the findings with the state auditor’s office.

This is followed by a 30-day “response period” in which the auditee has the ability

to provide written responses to the report, which are then included in the audit report.

Finally, the report is released to the public online after being finalized and signed by the state auditor.

COST/BENEFIT ANALYSIS

Because audits are only called when there is suspicion of wrongdoing by the auditee, the process is intensive and costly. Therefore, the potential results must outweigh this cost to make the audit worthwhile.

“I think there’s value to having a financial health check,” says Ward 4 council member Ian Thomas. “On the other hand, the state performance audit would cost a lot of money — at least $750,000 — and take several years.”

“I think it is unlikely that the results of the audit will justify the cost and the time required, which is up to three years,” says Pitzer.

“All [the audit] might do is be a confidence builder,” says Trapp. “I question the $750,000 price tag as a potential confidence builder.”

In order to break even from performing the audit, $750,000 worth of fraud would have to be found. This would constitute a significantly larger problem than what is being presented, and it’s unlikely that much fraud would be found given the processes and procedures already in place to prevent these types of problems.

In fact, the processes and procedures in place in the City of Columbia are so effective that the city is being considered for the Baldrige Award, which recognizes organizations in business, healthcare, education, and nonprofit sectors for performance excellence. “It’s an amazing accomplishment for a city to be able to apply for,” says Trapp. “There are only a couple Baldrige Award recipients nationwide that are cities because the awards are really geared toward businesses.”

From the information gathered, any issues the city has are not due to fraud or misconduct. They are due, in large part, to the city’s tax structure and the move to online shopping. So it’s worth asking: Is the financial cost equal to or greater than what information could be uncovered? CBT

S

T

ransparency in any relationship is of paramount importance — particularly the relationship between a city and its residents. For people to feel comfortable with their elected officials and city services, they must trust that resources are being used effectively.

When that trust breaks down, the results are costly and time-consuming.

This is where we seem to be in Columbia.

Recent allegations have been brought against the city in regards to use and allocation of funds. To solve this problem, the idea of a city audit by the state auditor has entered the conversation. But what does that mean?

“The state auditor typically becomes involved when there have been allegations of waste, fraud, or corruption and the local municipality has been unable to remedy the situation,” says Ward 5 council member Matt Pitzer. “Columbia has a number of structural processes in place to reduce the possibility that fraud can exist unchecked, including an on-staff internal auditor. That position has been vacant for several months while the City Council has pondered the possibility of the state audit.

If the state audit does not go forward, then filling that internal auditor role should be a priority.”

Shou ld the city's finan ces be audit ed by the state audit or?

BY MEG AN WHI TEH EAD

Stamp of Appr oval

“All [the audit] might do is be a confidence builder.

I question the $750,000 price tag as a potential confidence builder.”

- Councilman Michael Trapp COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 73

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FUELING THE BOTTOM LINE Looking at the repercussions if Proposition D — the motor fuel tax — doesn’t pass.

BY DAVID MORRISON

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 75

issouri Department of Transportation director Patrick McKenna has no shortage of options when it comes to pressing needs for road improvement projects across the state.

“Throw a dart at a map and you’ll find one,” McKenna says. “Really.”

Let’s start with bridges. The Chain of Rocks Bridge spans the Mississippi River in north St. Louis County. It’s more than 5,000 feet long and helps transport about $700 billion worth of freight a year.

And it needs more than a billion dollars in repairs.

How about the Buck O’Neil Bridge crossing the Missouri River into the heart of downtown Kansas City? That’s about a $200 million repair job. Or how about the Missouri River Bridge in Rocheport, about 20 miles west of downtown Columbia? It needs to be replaced, but right now, MoDOT only has enough money for a “rehabilitation.”

You don’t want to know what that would mean for morning commuters coming from Cooper County into Boone County.

“We’d be in a position where we’d need to take it down to a single lane of traffic on I-70 east and westbound for seven to nine months,” McKenna said. “That would produce three-to-eight-hour back-ups of traffic every single day. That’s coming into view very quickly. It’d be better to replace the bridge: have some partial use of the existing structure while we’re constructing a new one and not have that impact on traffic that we know would cost citizens a lot more than the cost of replacing the bridge.”

So it’s fairly evident that McKenna supports Proposition D, the state constitutional amendment that will be up for a vote on November 6. The measure proposes a 10-cent increase to the state’s gas tax, raising it 2.5 cents a year from its current level of 17 cents per gallon to its final level of 27 cents per gallon by 2022.

76 OCTOBER 2018

Missourians last raised the rate in 1996.

If passed, the new measure would generate about $288 million annually for the state road fund, which supports the Missouri State Highway Patrol as well as state bridge and road improvements.

About 30 percent of the revenue would go directly to cities and counties for use on local projects. McKenna said that, while MoDOT is responsible for the maintenance of 34,000 miles of road and 10,400 bridges, cities and counties keep up 97,000 miles of road and 14,000 bridges.

“The importance of the gain of revenue is that we can trend in the right direction,” McKenna said. “We’ve barely been holding our own in terms of maintaining our current condition.

States typically have to bring a share of revenue to match federal (infrastructure) funds.

We want to be prepared for that here as well.

This could have a multiplier effect beyond the core revenue that we can use in terms of drawing on federal programs that could extend the reach of these dollars.”

If the proposition passes, Boone County would earn an extra $923,524 a year once

the measure is fully implemented, according to SaferMO.com, a site that supports the proposition. Jerry Dowell, director of government affairs for the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, says Columbia would see an additional $1.7 million annually from the gas tax, adding to the $2.7 million annual share it currently receives.

The chamber firmly supports the measure, which Dowell said would help the city check off some items on its to-do list.

Dowell said he heard, at a recent city council meeting, that there are about 85 to 90 road upkeep projects on the docket. As it stands now, the city can only get to about three or four of those projects a year, while 10 new ones pop up annually.

“This is probably the best opportunity we’ve had in 22 years to get voter approval for additional road funding. It’s at the top of the minds of most of our membership,” Dowell said. “It was something our executive board felt was important and something that’s been on our legislative agenda for several years now: a viable, long-term plan to fund infrastructure improvements.”

“WE'VE BARELY BEEN HOLDING OUR OWN IN TERMS OF MAINTAINING OUR CURRENT CONDITION.” - PATRICK McKENNA, MoDOT DIRECTOR

Columbia could also use its funds — combined with state revenue and matching federal dollars — to start working on dream projects that it has been stalling like cleaning up the Highway 63 and I-70 interchange or funding an extension of Stadium Boulevard.

“Employers who want to stay in or relocate to Columbia have a list of things they’re looking for,” Dowell said. “We’ve got a great place to live, but one of the things they’re looking at is infrastructure. How are our roads in getting goods and products to market? Anytime you can take an objection from a company that’s willing, or looking, to locate either in Missouri or Columbia, it’s always going to be a positive for us.

Missouri ranks No. 49 out of the 50 states in what it charges drivers for a gas tax, according to McKenna. He also said that the state ranks 46th in the nation in revenue spent per mile of road, coming in behind all eight of its bordering states. Iowa just passed a 10-cent gas tax increase in 2015.

“If you look at the value of investment and the ability to operate and maintain a system for the benefit of the economy and the benefit of safety and freedom of people moving throughout the state, you don’t want to get behind your neighbors,” McKenna says. “We do a good job of using scarce dollars wisely. I think Missourians get a pretty good bang for their buck.”

The average Missouri driver currently pays about $20 to $30 a month in state gas taxes, McKenna says. Since Proposition D is a “user fee,” the increased amount that comes out of each driver’s pocket depends on the amount of gas he or she consumes.

The MoDOT website has a “Citizen’s Guide to Transportation Funding in Missouri” that shows motorists what their tax dollars go to and includes a calculator where you can estimate how much you’re paying per year due to the gas tax.

For most people, McKenna says, it’s less than they’d assume.

“I get it. A tax is a tax,” McKenna said. “But you do have some control over how much of it you spend. The more you use, the more you pay, and it goes right into the infrastructure you’re using. The better shape the infrastructure is in, the more convenient its use and the safer the roads are.” CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 77

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IN FOCUS

TWO GOVERNMENTS A SHORT WALK APART

Digging into the differences between how the county and city governments are run.

BY JODIE JACKSON JR. | PHOTO PROVIDED BY ALEC PETTUS

IN FOCUS

A

brief 3-minute walk along the north end of the historic Avenue of the Columns downtown, also known as Eighth Street, is all that separates the government headquarters of the fourthlargest city and the seventh-largest county in the state.

Though the two entities feature vastly different governing structures, Columbia City Hall, on East Broadway, and the Roger B. Wilson Boone County Government Center, on Walnut Street — barely two blocks apart — share a common geographic footprint and, more importantly, “growing pains,” as Boone County Presiding Commissioner Dan Atwill puts it.

Rather than bemoan the issues of aging infrastructure throughout the city and the county and the increasing demand for public services in the face of lagging sales tax revenue to repair and replace roads or to provide services, Atwill wears a smile and shrugs.

“These are good problems to have,” he says, going down the list of concerns that many other communities and counties are also facing against a backdrop of eroding tax base, lack of jobs, and families moving away.

“These are the type of problems a lot of them would like to have,” he says.

SHARED GROWTH, SHARED PAIN The U.S. Census Bureau reported in May 2016 that Columbia had gained about 10,600 residents from 2010 to 2015 — a nearly nine percent increase to 119,108 overall — to leapfrog Independence as the fourth largest city in the state. Columbia only lags behind Kansas City, St. Louis, and Springfield in terms of population. The city government employs around 1,500 people and had a fiscal year 2018 budget of $454 million.

Boone County, meanwhile, has a population of around 175,000. The county government had roughly 520 full-time employees in 2017 and a budget of $71.3 million with about 71 percent of that funding coming from sales tax. The ebb or flow of sales tax revenue, combined with a state mandate to provide services like the county jail or the functions of other county offices as well as city services including law

80 OCTOBER 2018

enforcement and road maintenance and repair, is a common challenge for city and county leaders.

County Auditor June Pitchford is charged by state statute to make sure the county’s budget is balanced and healthy.

Pitchford, in office since 1991, consistently points out in her annual budget message the “inherently volatile” nature of sales tax.

City Manager Mike Matthes is the city’s budget director and estimates that the city is losing out on as much as $10 million a year due to untaxed internet sales. The budget officials say they can’t overstate the importance of local sales taxes when it comes to the ability to provide necessary services to city and county residents.

“The marketplace is shifting from Main Street to cyberspace,” Pitchford says. “Our tax laws just haven’t kept pace with that.”

GETTING IN ON THE BUDGET ACT While Matthes works with city department heads to prioritize their individual budgets, the county’s elected officials have “the responsibility and the duty” to prepare their budget requests and present them to Pitchford by September 1 each year. The county commission conducts budget work sessions with Pitchford and individual department heads and elected leaders to formulate a final budget.

“In our environment, each independent elected official has the ability to bring those needs forward that they believe are important,” Pitchford added.

Another notable difference between the two local forms of government is the mandate for the county to provide many services that the city is not charged with: keeping land records and issuing marriage licenses, running the county jail, and keeping assessment records, among other things.

“Many of the things we as a county are responsible budgeting for are not discretionary to us,” Pitchford says. “They’re not things we just dreamed up. They are state functions that are mandated to us.”

STRUCTURED FOR SERVICE As a Class 1 or first-class county, Boone County governs and operates according

36.5% Boone County spends this percentage on public safety and judicial services out of total expenditures

51.9% The City of Columbia spends this percentage on public safety and judicial services out of total expenditures

$18.4 MILLION The amount allocated to the Road and Bridge Fund of Boone County

$575,000 The amount reduced in spending for transit in the City of Columbia

52 Total budgets within the City of Columbia

142 Projected county budgets established and monitored for 2018

4 Police officers hired to aid in the Columbia Police Department's Community Outreach Unit

Co u n t y vs . C i t y G ove r n m e n t to state statute. Laws not expressly stated in the statute as responsibilities of county government must be addressed via the state legislature. For instance, the three-member county commission that enacts county-level policies and regulations has unsuccessfully attempted for several years running to convince the legislature to broaden Boone County’s authority to adopt rental standards.

Apart from regulations related to public health, such as weeds or trash and rubbish on a property, the county needs legislative approval to enact regulations on energy efficiency, broken windows, and other structural issues for properties that the neighboring city government does have the power to address.

Pitchford says the city charter allows the city council to adopt ordinances and even set certain fees, whereas fees for county services, such as recording deeds and other documents, are mostly set by state statute.

Mandated services and the growing demand for those services, whether elections or property assessments, often outpace the amounts that the county can collect.

Matthes also points out that the city’s governing model resembles a corporation, where the city manager acts as the chief executive officer and the council acts as board of directors.

“They set policy and I implement those policies,” he says.

Unlike the county, which has several elected department heads, city department heads are appointed. City government is non-partisan, Matthes says.

“This is incredibly freeing,” he says. “We can follow facts where they lead us without the filter of party dogma.”

Atwill, who is seeking a third four-year term this election, says there’s “rarely as much as a hint” of partisan politics beyond campaigning and election day because most of the matters the county commission acts on aren’t partisan at all: planning and zoning decisions, public health, delivering county services to residents, etc. Atwill also noted that many of the county’s special sales taxes — for children’s services, law enforcement, roads and bridges, and emergency management — were approved by voters and were non-partisan ballot issues.

“Many of the things we as a county are responsible budgeting for are not discretionary to us. They’re not things we just dreamed up. They are state functions that are mandated to us.”

— Boone County Auditor June Pitchford

“That’s what the money is for. That’s all it can be used for,” he says.

COLLABORATING, LIKE GOOD NEIGHBORS Matthes notes that the city and county work together on a daily basis in several areas, including health and human services, which is jointly funded by the city and county, and other departments. City and county planning staffs spend a lot of time together managing current needs and forecasting future growth, with an especially keen eye on unincorporated areas of the county that might be annexed into the Columbia city limits.

Boone County owns Boone Hospital Center, the county hospital that BJC HealthCare manages through a lease agreement. The hospital has an elected board of trustees, so the county commission has limited decisionmaking authority. The city’s operation includes Columbia Regional Airport and an electric utility.

“Operating a utility is a very significant endeavor,” Pitchford says, noting that a business enterprise activity must recover costs via user fees rather than from tax revenue. It’s not a governmental burden the county has. “The county is solely focused on government activities,” she says. CBT

COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 81

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by C irp or t

TOP 2018 DIRECTORY

We do more than just find jobs at JobFinders.

O F T HWe E build rewarding careers, TOWN one at a time. 201 8

TOP PLACE TO WORK (1-25 EMPLOYEES)

1 Place: Visionworks Marketing Group 2nd Place: The Station House at Katfish Katy’s st

CBT’s

Providing cost effective staffing

TOP STAFFING COMPANY solutions for temporary and 1st Place: Jobfinders permanent placements.

1729 W. Broadway #4 573-446-4250, JobFindersUSA.com

TOP PLACE TO WORK (26-50 EMPLOYEES) nd 2JobFindersusa.com Place: Kelly Services

1st Place: Veterans United 2nd Place: Central Bank of Boone County

1729JANITORIAL West Broadway #4 TOP SERVICES

TOP COMMERCIAL REALTOR

TOP WithBANK offices in Jefferson City,

1st Place: Gina Rende 213 N. Stadium Blvd., #203 573-443-3200, MalyRealty.com

Shopping Center st 1Broadway Place: Atkins Columbia, MO 65203 nd 2Phone Place: Tiger Maids - 573.446.4250

st 1Mexico, Place:Sedalia Centraland BankColumbia. of Boone County 2nd Place: Landmark Bank

TOP REAL ESTATE DEVELOPER 1st Place: Mike Tompkins 2nd Place: Rob Wolverton

2nd Place: Jack Maher, III 3610 Buttonwood Drive, #200 573-228-6321, MaherCRE.com

TOP BUSINESS INSURANCE

1st Place: Casey Buckman 2nd Place: LG Patterson 1 Place: True Media 2nd Place: Missouri Employers Mutual st

TOP COMMERCIAL BUILDER 1st Place: Coil Construction 209 E. Broadway 573-874-1444, CoilConstruction.com

1 Place: Brooke Berkey 2nd Place: Megan Meier-Walters st

2 Place: Huebert Builders 3407 Berrywood Drive 573-449-4996, HuebertBuilders.com nd

TOP EMERGING PROFESSIONAL

2nd Place: Breakout CoMo

TOP ACCOUNTING SERVICE

TOP PLACE TO CLOSE A DEAL

1st Place: Accounting Plus 1604 Business Loop 70 W. 573-445-3805, AccountingPlusInc.com

2 Place: Gerding, Korte & Chitwood 20 South 5th Street 573-449-1599, gkccpas.com nd

TOP IT COMPANY 1st Place: Midwest Computech 2nd Place: Delta Systems

TOP HR FIRM

TOP CHAMBER VOLUNTEER

2 Place: Moresource nd

82 OCTOBER 2018

1st Place: Valerie Zumwalt 2nd Place: Kim Becking

TOP BUSINESS COACH 1st Place: Carolyn Paris Consulting Performance Consultant & Coach 573-819-6705, CarolynParis.com

TOP COFFEE MEETING LOCATION 1st Place: The Grind Coffe House 2nd Place: Kaldi’s Coffee

TOP PLACE FOR A BUSINESS LUNCH 1st Place: D. Rowe’s 2nd Place: Sycamore

TOP ARCHITECT

1st Place: Simon Oswald Architecture 2801 Woodward Dr. #103 573-443-1407, SOA-Inc.com

2nd Place: Tom Trabue

TOP BUSINESS ATTORNEY 1st Place: Nathan Jones 2nd Place: Daniel Beckett

TOP VIDEOGRAPHER 1st Place: Cosmic Sauce 2nd Place: Thom Baker

TOP ENTREPRENEUR 1st Place: Amanda Quick 2nd Place: Cara Owings

TOP COMMERCIAL LANDSCAPER

1st Place: Chris Rosskopf 2nd Place: Jason Ramsey

1st Place: Columbia EDP 1816 Vandiver Drive 573-474-8431, ColumbiaEDP.com

1st Place: Central Bank 2nd Place: 44 Canteen

TOP BUSINESS SPEAKER

1st Place: Jesse Walters 2nd Place: Wendy Moore

TOP COMMERCIAL LENDER

1st Place: Paint the Town 2703 East Broadway, #127 573-777-7795 PaintTheTownColumbia.com

1st Place: Connection Exchange 2nd Place: GFI Digital

1st Place: COMO Smoke and Fire 2nd Place: Room 38

1st Place: Anne Williams 2nd Place: Steve Erdel

TOP LOCAL TEAM BUILDING EXPERIENCE

TOP B2B PRODUCT OR SERVICE

TOP CATERER

TOP CEO

TOP SALESPERSON

TOP ADVERTISING AGENCY

1st Place: Stephanie Wilmsmeyer 2nd Place: Columbia Insurance Group

TOP COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHER TOP OFFICE DIGS

1st Place: Crockett Engineering 2nd Place: Timberlake Engineering 1st Place: Hoot Design Company 2nd Place: Visionworks Marketing Group

1st Place: Equipment Share 2nd Place: Las Margaritas

TOP PLACE TO WORK (51+ EMPLOYEES)

TOP ENGINEER

1st Place: Ann Merrifield 2nd Place: Allie Marrone Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Services 573-474-2370, RotoRooter.com

2nd Place: PWArchitects

TOP NATIONAL PRESENCE

1st Place: Lanier Landscaping info@lanierlandscapingllc.com 573-795-5820 LanierLandscapingLLC.com

1st Place: Veterans United 2nd Place: CARFAX

TOP EVENT LOCATION

1st Place: Logboat Brewing Co. 2nd Place: The Roof

2nd Place: Columbia Landcare

TOP HAPPY HOUR LOCATION

TOP COMMERCIAL INTERIOR DESIGNER

1st Place: Room 38 2nd Place: Las Margaritas

1st Place: Inside the Lines 2nd Place: Scout and Nimble

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84-89

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EDP

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COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 83

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In addition to the estate and business services we provide, we can now assist clients with: Family law Workers’ compensation Personal injury

SOME REPAIRS YOU SEE. OURS YOU DON’T. CENTRAL AUTO BODY CENTRALMISSOURI MISSOURI AUTO BODY

303 N. Stadium Blvd. Suite 200 Columbia | 573-874-1122 NathanJonesLaw.com The choice of a lawyer is an important decision and should not be based solely upon advertisements.

84 OCTOBER 2018

Quality collision repair is available for every type of vehicle and while yours is being repaired, we have loaner vehicles so you can go about your day while we do our job.

Our techs take pride in their work and everything is done with a written guarantee (573) 875-5877 | 5353 N Highway 763, Columbia

CentralMoAutoBody.com

BUSINESS • P EOPL E • VOIC ES • FY I

N E W BUS I N E SS L I C E N S E S

New Business Licenses SEPTEMBER 2018

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TOP

CBT’s

OF THE

Pin Deck Pro Shop

Mr. Nice Guy of Columbia

1508 N. Providence Rd.

19 S. Ninth St.

573-874-3324

TOWN

573-874-3324

201 8

Sales and service of bowling balls

Retail

Love Oak Tree

Sunglass Hut

212 E. Green Meadows Rd.

2300 Bernadette Dr.

573-356-0003

573-445-7914

Café

Winner of two

Top of the Town

Retail

awards!

Happy at Home Columbia Pet Sit

1000 S. Rangeline Rd. 573-808-1385 Pet sitting in the home of the client

Let’s Roll Ice Cream

21 Conley Rd. Ice cream shop

Top Staffing Company Top CEO

Castaway Yarns

3600 I-70 Dr. SE 573-443-1299 Yarn shop, retail, and knitting classes

Anne Williams

Pulse Fashion

1301 Vandiver Dr. 573-514-3769 Clothing and accessories

We separate the best from the rest through our recruiting, screening, and placement process.

The Music Mobile

1800 McKee St.

Columbia Equipment

620 N. Trade Winds Pkwy.

573-214-2922

636-248-6096

Traveling music

Dumpster rental delivery

instruction/teaching piano

and dump services

We bring top talent to your company – Temporary, Evaluate to Hire and Direct Hire Professionals.

Columbia, Jefferson City, Mexico, Moberly, Sedalia – Springfield coming soon!

Evexia Massage

Lisa Nails and Spa

4603 John Garry Dr.

24 E. Business Loop 70

417-366-0178

314-660-4580

Massage therapy

Nail and spa services

573.446.4250 JobFindersusa.com

CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 85

B U S I N E SS • P E O P L E • VO I C E S • F Y I

Get on the guest list.

2018 CORN MAZE AT KATFISH KATY’S Sep 14, 2018 - Nov 4, 2018 The Station House At Katfish Katy’s

FALL WORKSHOP SERIES Sep 27, 2018 - Dec 13, 2018 Heart of MO United Way

JOB POINT’S COMPANY FEUD Wednesday, October 3, 2018 Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center

CHARLEY PRIDE

in Concert in partnership with the Tom Henke Charity Golf Classic

Sunday, October 7, 2018 Miller Performing Arts Center, Jefferson City, Mo

IMPACT COMO Nov 29, 2018

Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center

COMO 2 TUSCANY

presented by St. James Winery and COMO Living Magazine

March 15 - 23, 2019 Tuscany, Italy

midmo TIX FOLLOW US: Interested in learning more?

Contact us at info@MidMoTix.com

86 OCTOBER 2018

DEEDS

Deeds of Trust WORTH MORE THAN $658,750

$10,500,000

$1,150,000

Keene II LLC

Rangeline Investments LLC

U.S. Bank

First State Community Bank

LT 1E Keene Estates

LT 4 RANGELINE

PLAT 1-A REPLAT LOT 1A

INVESTMENT PLAT 1

$6,700,000

$1,100,000

Orscheln Properties Co. LLC

Orscheln Properties Co. LLC

Providence Bank

Providence Bank

LT 110 Maple Center

LT 110 MAPLE CENTER

Condominiums

CONDOMINIUMS

$5,400,000

$794,466

Discovery Office Park LLC

C K S R LLC

Landmark Bank

First Midwest Bank

LT 2A DISCOVERY PARK

of Poplar Bluff

SUBDIVISION PLAT 2-B

LT 39 PT GARTHS ADD

$1,421,700

$760,000

C S Properties

Adam, Kevin P.

Columbia LLC

& Kristen E.

The Callaway Bank

Providence Bank

STR 14-46-12/NW/NW FF W/

LT 10 ARROWHEAD

EXCEPTIONS

LAKE ESTATES

$1,300,000

$750,000

Sentinel Industries Inc.

Brooks, Carl &

Landmark Bank

Linda Living Trust

STR 11-46-12/SW/SW SUR BK/PG:

Central Bank

379/173 AC 9.59 FF 2 TRACTS

of Boone County

$1,275,000

Prenger Properties LLC HOMEBANK STR 10-51-11//SE SUR BK/PG 1191/900 AC 1.64 FF PT TRACT 1 $1,249,200

STR 18-48-13 /W/SW $658,750

McCullem, Jonathan & Robyn The Callaway Bank LT 250A COPPERSTONE PLAT 7

Willet, Kent F. Trust Landmark Bank

404 deeds of trust

STR 35-49-12//N AC 10 FF

were issued between

SURVEY #8045

7/23 and 8/9 CBT

BUSINESS • P EOPL E • VOIC ES • FY I

Economic Index LABOR

HOUSING

JULY 2018

JULY 2018

United States

Single-family

Labor force: 163,734,000

home sales: 235

Employment: 157,004,000

Existing single-family home

Unemployment: 6,730,000

sales per month: 207

Rate: 4.1 percent

New construction singlefamily home sales

Missouri Labor force: 3,111,852 Employment: 2,994,504 Unemployment: 117,348

per month: 28 Single-family active listings on market: 743 Single-family homes average

Rate: 3.8 percent

sold price: $238,715

Boone County

sold price: $209,000

Labor force: 97,514 Employment: 94,715 Unemployment: 2,799 Rate: 2.9 percent

Single-family homes median Single-family homes average days on market: 49 Single-family pending listings on market: 185

Columbia Labor force: 66,649 Employment: 64,722

UTILITIES

Unemployment: 1,927

JULY 2018

Rate: 2.9 percent Water August 2018: 49,390 August 2017: 49,060

CONSTRUCTION

Change #: 330

AUGUST 2018

Change %: 0.673 Number of customers

Residential

receiving service on August 1,

building permits: 20

2018: 49,365

Value of residential permits: $4,415,978

Electric

Commercial building permits: 3

August 2018: 50,302

Value of commercial building

August 2017: 50,117

permits: $7,514,029

Change #: 185

Commercial additions/

Change %: 0.369

alterations: 16

Number of customers

Value of commercial additions/

receiving service on August 1,

alterations: $2,272,142

2018: 50,262 CBT COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 87

ADVERTISER INDEX ACCOUNTING PLUS..................................................................................................... 91 ACHIEVE BALANCE.....................................................................................................78 ALPHA REAL ESTATE.................................................................................................... 7 ANTHEM BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD.....................................................................8 ANTHONY JINSON PHOTOGRAPHY......................................................................15 ATKINS, INC.................................................................................................................... 42 BMW OF COLUMBIA...................................................................................................... 5 BURGERS' SMOKEHOUSE........................................................................................ 20 CARSON & COIL.............................................................................................................52 CENTRAL MISSOURI AUTO BODY........................................................................ 84 CITIZEN JANE FILM FESTIVAL................................................................................. 18 CITY OF COLUMBIA WATER & LIGHT.....................................................................4 CITY WATCH COLUMBIA........................................................................................... 48 COIL CONSTRUCTION................................................................................................ 69 COLUMBIA EDP............................................................................................................. 83 COLUMBIA MARKETING GROUP.............................................................................13 COMMERCE BANK........................................................................................................ 41 COMPASS CHIROPRACTIC....................................................................................... 46 CONVERGE ONE........................................................................................................... 20 D & M SOUND................................................................................................................. 36 EDWARD JONES-GINA MAULLER.........................................................................78 EDWARD JONES - KATHY LOU NEALE............................................................... 41 EDWARD JONES-MARK RICHARDSON...............................................................22 ESI COMMUNICATIONS.............................................................................................. 38 EVANS & DIXON, LLC.................................................................................................. 83 EXPRESS EMPLOYMENT PROFESSIONALS...................................................... 69 FIRST MIDWEST BANK...............................................................................................87 FIRST STATE COMMUNITY BANK.......................................................................... 83 GFI DIGITAL....................................................................................................................... 3 HAWTHORN BANK...................................................................................................... 92

88 OCTOBER 2018

HEART OF MISSOURI UNITED WAY..............................................................10 & 11 I-70 CONTAINER........................................................................................................... 28 JENNING'S PREMIUM MEATS...................................................................................74 JOBFINDERS.................................................................................................................. 85 JOE MACHENS - VOLKSWAGEN.................................................................... 16 & 17 LANDMARK BANK.......................................................................................................... 2 MEDIACOM.........................................................................................................................9 MERCEDES OF COLUMBIA........................................................................................ 14 MIDMOTIX........................................................................................................................ 86 MODERN LITHO/BROWN PRINTING.....................................................................52 NATHAN JONES LAW................................................................................................. 84 NAUGHT NAUGHT INSURANCE AGENCY.......................................................... 84 PERSONAL TOUCH CLEANING SERVICE........................................................... 64 PWARCHITECTS, INC...................................................................................................22 QUANTUM WIRELESS INTERNET...........................................................................78 REALTY EXECUTIVES - HEATH HIGGINS.............................................................12 RESTORATION EYECARE......................................................................................... 28 SEPTAGON CONSTRUCTION................................................................................... 46 SILVERBALL.................................................................................................................... 70 SOCKET............................................................................................................................ 24 SOLSTICE SENIOR LIVING........................................................................................ 64 STANGE LAW FIRM...................................................................................................... 88 SUN SOLAR..................................................................................................................... 49 SUNBELT BUSINESS BROKERS.............................................................................. 36 SUPERIOR GARDEN CENTER/ROST LANDSCAPE........................................ 49 THE BROADWAY HOTEL........................................................................................... 50 TIGERS COMMUNITY CREDIT UNION.................................................................. 50 UNIVERSITY CLUB..........................................................................................................6 WILSON'S FITNESS..................................................................................................... 44

B U SINESS • P EOP L E • VOIC ES • FY I

BY T H E N U M BER S

2,667

46

21

Missouri House GOP follows on Twitter. (@MOHouseGOP)

Women legislators in Missouri

Number of months it will take for the state’s capitol exterior renovation to be complete.

Source: Twitter

Source: National Conference of State Legislatures

3,979

3

21%

Missouri House Democrats follows on Twitter. (@MOLegDems)

Hispanic legislators in Missouri

Percentage increase in absentee voting from 2016 to 2018 primaries.

Source: National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators

Source: Twitter

Source: www.senate.mo.gov

Source: Boone County Clerk’s Office

COLUMBIA CITY COUNCIL, 2008 TO NOW SOURCE: COMO.GOV

2008 | Mayor

2009 |

2011 |

2012 |

DARWIN HINDMAN 1995

Ward 1 Ward 2

2010 |

2014 |

2015 |

2016 |

FRED SCHMIDT 2011

JASON THORNHILL 2009

GINNY CHADWICK 2014

MICHAEL TRAPP 2012

KARL SKALA 2007

GARY KESPOHL 2010

KARL SKALA 2013

Ward 4

JERRY WADE 2007

DARYL DUDLEY 2010

IAN THOMAS 2013

Ward 6

LAURA NAUSER 2005

HELEN ANTHONY 2011-12

BARBARA HOPPE 2006

NOW |

CLYDE RUFFIN 2014

Ward 3

Ward 5

2017 | BRIAN TREECE 2016

BOB MCDAVID 2010

PAUL STURTZ 2008 CHRISTOPHER JANKU 1991

2013 |

LAURA NAUSER 2012

MATT PITZER 2016 BETSY PETERS 2014 COLUMBIABUSINESSTIMES.COM 89

T H I S OR T H AT

B U SINESS • P EOP L E • VOIC ES • FY I

CLYDE RUFFIN Ward 1 Council Member, Columbia City Council

Mac

Big Picture

Cursive

Print

Early Bird Cinema Michael Jackson Firefox 9-5 Learn At Your Desk

Chrome Flexibility Teach In a Meeting Cake

City

Planner Traditional Certain Country

Save

Spend

Summer

Winter

Cat Passenger Car Ocean Optimistic Business

Dog Driver Plane Mountains Realistic Casual

Solo

Team

For Here

To-go

DISC Books

StrengthsFinder Magazines

Reading

Writing

Creative

Analytical

Introvert

Extrovert

Podcast Cluttered Card Game Concept Fiction Text Soup

90 OCTOBER 2018

The Beatles

Pie

Skeptical

1. Lemonade!

2. Never taken these.

Netflix

Beer

Modern

A M E N DME N TS A N D CONDI TI ONS

Night Owl

Wine Improviser

Photography by Mallory Taulbee

PC

Details

Playlist Minimalist Board Game Execute Nonfiction Call Sandwich

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