CEO Summer 2015

STORYTELLER

Sarah Hill Draws Inspiration From A Passionate Cause

STARTUP STRATEGY

Bill Turpin Takes Over At The MU Life Science Business Incubator

SUMMER 2015

www.ColumbiaCEO.com

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CONTENTS

Inside Columbia’s CEO • www.ColumbiaCEO.com • Volume 6, Issue 4

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Opening Bell: The Buzz On CoMo Biz

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Coach’s Clipboard: 4 Keys To Work/Life Balance

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Up & Coming: The Ladder Report

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The Evolving CoMo Health Care Landscape

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Regional Roundup

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Data Bank: Startup Activity In 2014

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Energy Pioneer Mike Mehrdad Leads ETI To The Next Frontier

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Entrepreneurial Spirit: CoMo’s New Crop Of Innovators

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Shopping: Executive Travel

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CEO At Play: 3 Questions

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The Conference Room: A Conversation With The District’s Katie Essing

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B2B: The Connection Exchange

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Aspirations: Competitors Join Together To Build A Better Business

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63 Networking 65

Publisher’s Note

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Closing Quotes

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION 48 Legacy Businesses

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STAFF

INSIDE COLUMBIA’S CEO

Publisher Fred Parry fred@insidecolumbia.net Associate Publisher Melody Parry melody@insidecolumbia.net

MEET OUR EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD

Associate Publisher & Executive Editor Sandy Selby sandy@insidecolumbia.net Managing Editor Kathy Casteel kathy@insidecolumbia.net Editorial Assistant Peg Gill peg@insidecolumbia.net Contributing Writers Heather Finn, Porcshe Moran, Gary Pinkel

RANDY COIL President, Coil Construction

TOM ATKINS President, Tom Atkins Investments

GARY DREWING President, Joe Machens Dealerships

JOAN GABEL Dean, Trulaske College of Business, University of Missouri

Graphic Designers Trever Griswold trever@insidecolumbia.net Joe Waner joewaner@insidecolumbia.net Photo Editor L.G. Patterson lg@insidecolumbia.net

BOB GERDING President, Gerding, Korte & Chitwood CPAs

PAUL LAND Principal/Owner, Plaza Commercial Realty

DIANNE LYNCH President, Stephens College

GEORGE PFENENGER CEO, Socket

Operations Manager Kalie Clennin kalie@insidecolumbia.net Operations Assistant Lilly Smith lilly@insidecolumbia.net

BOB PUGH CEO, MBS Textbook Exchange

GREG STEINHOFF President of Strategic Operations, Veterans United Home Loans

JERRY TAYLOR Former President & CEO, MFA Oil Co.

TIM WOLFE President, University of Missouri System

Marketing Representatives Samantha Cook samantha@insidecolumbia.net Rosemarie Peck rosemarie@insidecolumbia.net Joe Schmitter joe@insidecolumbia.net Director of Customer Retention Gerri Shelton gerri@insidecolumbia.net

Please Recycle This Magazine.

Inside Columbia’s CEO magazine 47 E. Broadway • Columbia, MO 65203 • Office: 573-442-1430 • Web: www.ColumbiaCEO.com Inside Columbia’s CEO is published quarterly by OutFront Communications LLC, 47 E. Broadway, Columbia, Mo. 65203, 573-442-1430. Copyright OutFront Communications, 2015. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

Postage paid at Columbia, Mo. The annual subscription rate is $19.95 for four issues.

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Finance Manager Brenda Brooks brenda@insidecolumbia.net Distribution Manager John Lapsley

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OPENING BELL

THE BUZZ ON COMO BIZ

FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH The Shelter Insurance fountain turns 50 this year, a good reason for the company to give the West Broadway landmark a makeover. Sterling Construction of Kansas City began work on the renovation plans of Waters Edge Aquatic Design of Lenexa, Kan., last September. Shelter unveiled the spruced-up fountain at a spring celebration April 30.

“We wanted to make sure it would be around for another 50 years,” says Jay MacLellan, Shelter’s director of public relations and corporate training. “At the same time, we wanted to make it more efficient in its use, more pleasing to the eye and more sustainable for our environment.”

The renovated fountain boasts a 40-foot-diameter center basin with two partial outside basins, each with a 16-foot radius. Total water surface is 2,100 square feet; total water in motion is approximately 1,100 gallons per minute, moved by four pumps of 5 to 10 horsepower each. The water display utilizes 49 nozzles and 38 feet of waterfalls. Low-voltage LED lights in the fountain basins provide multicolor, energyefficient lighting during all seasons.

photo by L.G. PATTERSON

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OPENING BELL

THE BUZZ ON COMO BIZ

The Plaza Dental Group team

The Columbia Chamber of Commerce honored Plaza Dental Group as its 2015 Small Business of the Year in May, capping the local celebration of national Small Business Week.

The Columbia dental practice won out in a field of five contenders for the award. Other finalists were Buchroeders Jewelers, Kilgore’s Respiratory Services, Manor Roofing &

SBA Honors True Media’s Jack Miller The U.S. Small Business Administration named True Media President Jack Miller the Eastern Missouri Small Business Person of the Year during the SBA’s St. Louis district celebration of Small Business Week in May. Miller launched True Media in Columbia in 2005 with one employee.

Today, the media strategy and communications firm employs nearly 100 in its Columbia, St. Louis and Calgary, Alberta, offices. The agency has made Inc. magazine’s list of the nation’s fastest-growing companies for the past five years.

Janice Schuerman, Billie Connally Win Athena Awards The Women’s Network presented its Athena Awards this spring to Janice Schuerman and Billie Connally. Schuerman, retired senior vice president of corporate and member services of MFA Inc., won the Athena Leadership Award. She was recognized for her professional achievements — as MFA’s first female vice president, she created training, development and leadership programs for the company — and her community work with Women’s Network, Chamber Ambassadors, Rotary, the Job Center, Meals on Wheels and Woodhaven.

Connally, assistant vice president of Landmark Bank, won the Athena Young Professional Award. She is a Women’s Network member and Chamber Ambassador who has volunteered with Special Olympics, Partners in Education, the United Way and CASA. 12

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PLAZA DENTAL GROUP WINS 2015 SMALL BUSINESS OF THE YEAR

Restoration and TrueSon Exteriors.

Co-owned by Walt Pfitzinger and Kyle Lisenby, Plaza Dental Group opened in 2008 at 303 N. Keene St. Six dentists, backed up by a cadre of clinical and office staff, see up to 120 patients a day.

The practice offers general dentistry and specialists in pediatric dentistry, oral surgery, orthodontics and dental sleep medicine.

MFA & MFA Oil Endow MU Agribusiness Professorship MFA Inc. and MFA Oil Co. have jointly pledged $750,000 to establish the endowed MFA Professorship in Agribusiness at the University of Missouri. The two Columbia-based farmerowned cooperatives have pledged funds over four years to establish the professorship in the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. The funds will also support research into agricultural production improvements. A search to fill the faculty post will begin soon.

MU Leadership Program Receives Permanent Funding Harry Cornell has given $6 million to the University of Missouri’s Robert J. Trulaske, Sr. College of Business to fund the Cornell Leadership Program in perpetuity. The CLP, a selective program for the university’s top business students, began in 2006 with a previous gift from Cornell.

The new endowment will provide permanent support for the program and brings Cornell’s MU donation total to more than $13 million. Cornell, a Mizzou alumnus and chairman emeritus of Leggett & Platt Inc., provided previous gifts that supported construction and enhancements of Cornell Hall, the main academic building for the Trulaske College of Business.

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OPENING BELL

THE BUZZ ON COMO BIZ

9 Receive Sustainability Awards The Columbia City Council issued its inaugural Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement Awards to nine businesses and organizations for resource conservation, pollution prevention, environmental stewardship and innovative best practices in sustainability.

“We established the MCPA award program to recognize excellence in sustainable practices demonstrated by local businesses and organizations, and promote a culture of environmental responsibility,” says Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid. The City Council signed the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement with the U.S. Council of Mayors in 2006. This is the first year for the local awards.

Award winners include Schneider Electric, Quaker Manufacturing, Main Squeeze Natural Foods Cafe, Columbia Art League, Shelter Insurance, Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture, The Lawn Company, OHM Professional Offices of Simon Oswald Architecture and CM Engineering, and the Columbia Area Career Center.

MU Medical School In Top 10 The University of Missouri School of Medicine received its third consecutive Top 10 Award from the American Academy of Family Physicians. The academy honored the school for its consistent contributions to building the family physician workforce. The Top 10 Awards were presented during the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine annual spring conference in April.

Columbia Ranked Among The Best Retirement Cities Columbia has again landed on Forbes magazine’s 2015 list of Best Places To Retire In 2015. The unranked group of 25 American cities includes 10 college towns.

Forbes cited CoMo’s “booming economy in a classic college town halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City with a cost of

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living 5 percent below the national norm and an average home price of $159,000.”

The magazine also praised Columbia’s abundant physicians per capita and its favorable bicycle environment. Negatives noted were weather extremes, belowaverage air quality and a crime rate the magazine deemed too high.

MFA Oil Acquires 30 Fuel Supply Agreements MFA Oil Co. has bought a portion of dealer fuel supply agreements owned by Sunshine Fuels LLC and Sunshine Energy LLC. The acquisition went through MFA Oil’s subsidiary, American Petroleum Marketers, which distributes fuel to more than 60 Cenex-branded sites, as well as unbranded fuel, in nine states. The Sunshine purchase includes 30 supplier contracts of dealers in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma that offer Phillips 66, Conoco and Shell fuel brands.

MFA Oil acquired APM in 2013.

BRIEFLY … u Columbia’s Riback Supply Co. has been sold to Plumb Supply Co. of Des Moines. The two plumbing and HVAC supply businesses will finalize the merger around July 1. Both companies will keep their names. u Winter-Dent & Co. of Jefferson City and Columbia is partnering with Keystone Insurers Group, a Pennsylvania-based property/casualty agency with franchise partners in 10 states.

The move allows Winter-Dent to access the international scope and capabilities of Keystone’s $2.3 billion agency network, says agency President Louis Landwehr. Winter-Dent will continue to operate under its own name in both central Missouri offices. Keystone began its rapid franchise expansion into Missouri in January. u Landmark Bank is now offering Sunday hours at three enhanced drive-thru locations in Columbia.

The enhanced drive-thru sites, with video teller technology, are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. u The Landrum Co. recently raised more than $22 million in a common stock offering, assisted by Commerce Street Capital of Dallas. Landrum, the holding company for Landmark Bank, operates 41 banking offices in Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma and has more than $2.1 billion in assets. u St. Louis-based Stange Law Firm has expanded to Columbia, opening an office at 1506 Chapel Hill Road on June 1. The Columbia office is the family law firm’s 12th location, serving Boone County clients in divorce, child custody and other domestic-relations matters. u Woodruff Sweitzer, a Columbia-based marketing and communications agency, has acquired Confluence Marketing, an independent marketing and public relations firm in Red Wing, Minn. The purchase gives Woodruff Schweitzer offices in five cities — Columbia, Red Wing, Kansas City, St. Louis (as Paradowski Creative) and Calgary, Alberta. Agency principal and chief creative officer Steve Schweitzer announced his retirement in April. u UMB Financial Corp. has acquired Marquette Financial Companies. MFC operates 13 branches in Arizona and Texas, two national specialtylending businesses focused on asset-based lending and factoring, and an asset-management firm. The company’s portfolio of businesses include Phoenix-based Meridian Bank, N.A., and Fort Worth-based Meridian Bank Texas, Dallasbased Marquette Business Credit, Marquette Transportation Finance, Marquette Commercial Finance, and Minneapolis-based Marquette Asset Management.

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OPENING BELL

UP & COMING

THE LADDER REPORT Look Who’s Moving Up In Columbia

ERNIE VERSLUES took over as president and CEO of MFA INC. in March, replacing BILL STREETER, who retired after six years of leading the farmer-owned cooperative. Verslues has 27 years’ experience at MFA, serving as corporate tax manager, regional manager, and most recently as senior vice president of finance and chief financial officer. Headquartered in Columbia, MFA serves 45,000 farmers and ranchers in five states. The 101-year-old cooperative operates 145 company-owned Agri Services Centers, as well as 24 local affiliates with 20 branches and a wide network of independent cooperatives and dealers.

The HEART OF MISSOURI UNITED WAY has named ANDREW GRABAU its new executive director, replacing TIM RICH, who left in March.

Grabau, senior director of development at the University of Missouri, joined the organization on June 15. Former food bank director PEGGY KIRKPATRICK has served as United Way’s interim director since Rich’s departure.

Gov. Jay Nixon appointed NICOLE GALLOWAY as MISSOURI AUDITOR in April to fill the remaining 3½ years in the term of Auditor TOM SCHWEICH, who died in February. Galloway had served as Boone County treasurer since 2011. A certified public accountant and certified fraud examiner, she received her MBA from the University of Missouri.

The newly formed BUSINESS LOOP COMMUNITY IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT has hired CARRIE GARTNER as the district’s executive director.

Gartner, the former executive director of 16

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the Downtown Community Improvement District, joined the Business Loop group in May after leaving the University of Missouri Health Care System, where she had worked in public relations since last August.

MACK RHOADES joined the UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI as athletic director in April, replacing MIKE ALDEN, who stepped down after 17 years in the position. Rhoades comes to Mizzou from the University of Houston, where he had been vice president for intercollegiate athletics since 2009.

He has appointed WREN BAKER deputy director of athletics (external relations). Baker is the former athletic director of Northwest Missouri State University, and most recently held a similar deputy athletics position at the University of Memphis.

HAL WILLIAMSON, executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI, recently announced plans to retire June 30.

Williamson, who created the health system in its current form, has been a member of the MU faculty since 1982. MU Chancellor R. Bowen Loftin says he will not replace Williamson; he will instead reorganize the health system administration on July 1, forming a clinical management committee of the MU Health Care CEO and the deans of the medical, nursing and health professions schools.

DON SMITH has joined MFA OIL CO. as director of mergers and acquisitions. In his new role, Smith is responsible for deal sourcing, business valuations, negotiations and post-sale integration of business acquisitions of the Columbia-based farmerowned cooperative. He brings more than 25 years of mergers and acquisitions experience to the job, including three years as CEO of Midwest M&A Advisors, a St. Louis-based consulting firm he founded in 2012, and more than 15 years representing Colorado-based businesses as owner and president of Andor Inc. of Colorado Springs.

COLUMBIA COLLEGE has named its first provost in the history of the college. DAVID STARRETT, who will join the college in August, takes over for TERRY SMITH, who served as executive vice president and dean for academic affairs for more than 18 years. Starrett’s

duties will include overseeing the college’s academic offerings in all venues and leading Columbia College’s accreditation and assessment efforts. He also will oversee the college’s library. Starrett is currently an administrator and professor of biology at Southeast Missouri State University.

WESTMINSTER COLLEGE has named BENJAMIN AKANDE as its new president, replacing BARNEY FORSYTHE, who retired after leading the college for more than seven years.

Akande is the 21st president of the 164-year-old Fulton college.

A native of Nigeria, he was dean of the George Herbert Walker School of Business and Technology at Webster University in St. Louis. He holds degrees from Wayland Baptist University and the University of Oklahoma, and has completed postdoctoral studies at Harvard and Oxford.

The UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI Board of Curators has promoted RYAN RAPP to UM system chief audit executive, the first to hold the position since the university created a new internal audit division staffed by system employees.

Rapp currently serves as the assistant vice president for finance and controller for the UM system. In his new role, Rapp will lead and coordinate the Office of Audit and Consulting Services including the design, facilitation, implementation and communication related to the university’s internal auditing procedures, policies and mechanisms.

The CENTRAL MISSOURI HUMANE SOCIETY has appointed JULIE ABER executive director, a position she has served in on an interim basis since the death of director MARY PAT BOATFIELD a year ago. Previously, Aber was assistant director under Boatman.

Share your business news with Inside Columbia’s CEO. Email the editor at kathy@insidecolumbia.net.

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OPENING BELL

REGIONAL ROUNDUP

CALIFORNIA WINERY BUYS A&K COOPERAGE Napa Valley’s Silver Oak Winery has acquired full ownership of A&K Cooperage in Higbee, becoming the first North American winery to own and operate an American oak cooperage. The Oakville, Calif., winery has had a 50 percent interest in the Missouri cooperage since 2000. A&K and Silver Oak also jointly own several hundred acres of Missouri oak timberland.

A&K Cooperage, founded in 1972 as a keg business by the late Dale Andrews and his son-in-law Dale Kirby, has concentrated on American oak wine barrels for more than 25 years. Until last December, the cooperage premises also housed The Cooper’s Oak Winery, owned by Kirby’s son, Matt. Cooper’s Oak has relocated to a newly constructed facility nearby.

MID-MISSOURIANS FILL INGRAM’S A-LIST Nearly one-quarter of the people on the 2015 Ingram’s list of 50 Missourians You Should Know hail from mid-Missouri. The Kansas City business journal’s annual list pays tribute to “the best of what Missouri has to offer” in business, innovation and culture. Columbia A-listers include: u Cris Burnam, president of StorageMart. u Doug Crews, executive director of Missouri Press

Association. u Kattesh Katti, University of Missouri radiology

and physics professor and nanotechnology pioneer. u Rick Means, president of Shelter Insurance Cos. u Stephen Owens, general counsel for the University of Missouri system. u Nick Peckham, founder of Peckham Architecture.

Other mid-Missourians on the list include: u Pat Amick, executive director of the Missouri Economic Development Council, Jefferson City. u Jim Anderson, executive director of the Missouri Wine & Grape Board, Jefferson City. u Dianne Bernhard, retired Columbia police officer and current executive director of COPS (Concerns of Police Survivors), Camdenton. u Mike Bowlby, owner of Mack Hils Metal Fabrication, Moberly. u Donald Claycomb, president of the State Technical College of Missouri, Linn. u Barney Forsythe, recently retired president of Westminster College, Fulton.

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ANDY’S FROZEN CUSTARD EXPANDS ITS FRANCHISES Andy’s Frozen Custard has signed the largest multiunit franchise agreement in its 29-year history, expanding operations with 20 new stores in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Dallas, Nashville and various markets in central Florida.

Founded in Osage Beach in 1986, Andy’s is the largest “frozen custard only” concept in the United States, employing 500 at 23 current locations with four additional stores under construction. The company, now headquartered in Springfield, expects to add about 100 employees and managers within each new franchise territory.

HAMILTON QUILT BUSINESS WINS NATIONAL SBA AWARD The U.S. Small Business Administration has named Alan Doan and Sarah Doan Galbraith of Hamilton the 2015 National Small Business Persons of the Year. The brother and sister, owners of Missouri Star Quilt Co., have been in business for seven years; their company now employs 180 people and is the largest employer in Caldwell County. A combination of e-commerce and a bustling brick-and-mortar operation, supplemented by YouTube quilting tutorials, has built the company into a global concern with more than $17.7 million in annual sales.

JC SAM’S CLUB CREATES 170 JOBS The Sam’s Club under construction in Jefferson City has begun hiring employees to staff the membershiponly retail warehouse slated to open later this year.

Walmart officials say the facility will bring 170 jobs to Jefferson City. The 136,454-square-foot property at 849 Stoneridge Blvd. will include a Sam’s Club and accompanying fuel station. Company officials cut the ribbon on the hiring center at 1406 Missouri Blvd. in April.

ASIFlex Adding Moberly Office Third-party employee benefits administrator ASIFlex is opening a facility in Moberly to accommodate growth.

The expansion will create 10 new full-time jobs in the Heights Business Park.

ASIFlex provides administrative services for flexible spending accounts, health reimbursement arrangements, health savings accounts and parking/transit commuter benefits. Formed in 1983, the firm specializes in serving public sector clients. ASIFlex currently employs 80 at its headquarters in Columbia.

Orscheln Building New Test Lab Orscheln Products LLC broke ground in April to construct a 15,000-square-foot test laboratory on the company’s Moberly campus. The new lab will expand capabilities for mechanical, environmental, vibration, electronics and corrosion product testing.

When complete, the new facility will free up 5,000 square feet of existing lab space where the company plans to move its growing electronics manufacturing business.

Orscheln Products manufactures and designs control systems for nonautomotive markets with more than 15,000 finished goods sold worldwide. The company currently employs 330 people in the Moberly operation.

Missouri Realtors Offers New Benefit Missouri Realtors has announced a partnership with Inman Select, offering all members of the state real estate association access to the industry information service.

The new benefit affords more than 80,000 Missouri Realtors members free use of industry news, business intelligence and special reports from Inman.

“The real estate industry is changing at a quick pace,” says association President Gary Nelson. “This is one way we can help our members stay on top of their game and embrace the change.”

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OPENING BELL

DATA BANK

2014 MID-MISSOURI STARTUPS BY COUNTY

OPEN FOR BUSINESS

Randolph 35 Howard 14 Audrain 26

A Look At Startup Activity In 2014

Cooper 16

Missourians formed 17,509 new businesses in 2014, a 2.3 percent increase over new business formations in 2013 and a 9.6 percent increase over 2012. Statewide, the highest startup activity occurred in social assistance; professional, scientific and technical services; administrative support services; wholesale electronic markets and agents/brokers; and food services and drinking places. Overall, new businesses formed in Missouri last year at a rate of 2.9 startups for every 1,000 in population. Southeast Missouri recorded the most torrid rate of startup activity as Dunklin, Iron and Wayne counties registered the highest number of new business formations per capita.

Cole 139 Boone 366

In mid-Missouri, 647 new businesses formed last year; Boone County accounted for 57 percent of those startups.

Callaway 51

2014 STARTUPS BY INDUSTRY

150

128

Mid-Missouri

120

Boone County

90 76

60

77

74

63

64

60

51 45 40 36 31

31

9

6

8

7

6

16 11

Utilities

Transportation & Warehousing

Retail Trade

Professional & Technical Services

Manufacturing

Information

Health Care & Social Assistance

Finance

Construction

1

Arts/Entertainment/ Recreation

Agriculture/Forestry/ Fishing/Hunting

Administrative Support Services

18

9

5

3 1

Accommodation & Food Services

20

13

1

Other Services

13

12

0

23

Wholesale Trade

24

Real Estate/Rental & Leasing

31

Educational Services

30

SOURCE: MISSOURI ECONOMIC RESEARCH AND INFORMATION CENTER 20

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ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT

BUILDING BETTER MOUSETRAPS A Look At Columbia’s Latest Crop Of Entrepreneurs

by KATHY CASTEEL • photo by L.G. PATTERSON

W

hile the world awaits an invitation to another door where it can beat the metaphorical path, Columbia’s next generation of innovators is rolling out the welcome mat. Local entrepreneurs gathered at Columbia College in April to trot out their ideas before a panel of judges for

Ignition, the annual pitch competition hosted by Regional Economic Development Inc. The big winner was EpicEd, a company that offers middle school and high school students enhanced educational experiences through competitive video gaming. University of Missouri business student Connor Hall pitched the idea and took home the $6,000 first prize.

“EpicEd educates students in valuable

lifelong skills through e-sports,” says Hall. “Through our competitive gaming programs, they develop advanced gaming skills and improve communication, teamwork, self-control, critical thinking and physical fitness. Older players learn about the gaming business and the importance of developing your own personal brand.”

Hall believes he has found a way to cash in on the rising popularity of e-sports and competitive gaming

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tournaments. Tapping into the market of youths who yearn to be professional gamers, Hall used his experience over four years of professional Halo competition while in high school to develop his curriculum. Additional input comes from team members Dan Clay, MU’s dean of education, and Jack Jones, a personal trainer and founder of The Healthy Gamer.

EpicEd derives its revenue stream through league fees, licensing and ad proceeds, and gaming camp tuition. The company hosts three gaming camps this summer at Columbia Area Career Center.

Find Out More www.epiced.co, 314-698-9000, connor@epiced.co

T

he competitors pitched a wide range of products and services in the April contest. Here’s a look at some other ideas that mid-Missouri entrepreneurs are bringing to the marketplace.

ULYTIC With a system of monitors collecting traffic and environmental data in urban areas, Ulytic offers detailed data to its customers in real time. “These sensor systems serve as comprehensive ‘fitness trackers’ for cities,” says CEO Billy Martin, who took second place in the pitch contest and won $4,000.

The company manufactures small monitors to place on buildings or streetlights that count pedestrians, bicycles and vehicles that pass it. Sensors also measure surrounding environmental conditions.

Ulytic’s software analyzes the data, which the company will market to small businesses, advertisers, real estate agents, urban planners, public safety officials and meteorologists.

Ulytic is pursuing partnerships with geographic information system companies and plans a revenue stream from selling the harvested data. A mobile application is also in development.

Find Out More: www.ulytic.com, 660-631-4680 billymartin.se@gmail.com,

special events. The company is currently running tests in downtown districts, arts festivals and business conferences.

Find Out More: www.essentialspots.com, keith@essentialspots.com

BIG INFO LLC

SOLAR NOMAD Columbia College student Adam Smith had already pocketed $3,000 in startup capital at the Fishman Entrepreneur of the Year competition for his portable solar panel tree when he entered REDI’s Ignition contest. He added $2,000 to his business’s coffers as the third-place Ignition winner.

Solar Nomad is a free-standing solar panel apparatus that Smith says homeowners may install at a fraction of the cost of commercial rooftop installations.

As a supplemental source of electricity, Solar Nomad can provide a 15 percent savings on monthly utility bills, Smith says, and would pay for itself in about eight years.

Smith’s target market for Solar Nomad is young professionals who move a lot.

Find Out More: solar.nomad.info@gmail.com

Andrew Hutson’s business, Big Info, builds smartphone applications to help researchers recruit and retain participants for studies. Big Info offers consulting, coding and marketing of the apps.

Revenue comes through a subscription model sold to universities that add the cost to grant applications.

Find Out More: www.biginfo.co, 314-616-9669, andrew@biginfo.co

EVERFIN Dan Dyer, J.C. Holmes and Will Spiller have teamed up to provide digital solutions to the financial advising industry. The trio offers industry-specific technology tools such as an automated client relationship management platform and customized software for tracking contacts, sales and other metrics. EverFin’s revenue stream will come from subscriptions.

Find Out More: www.everfin.com, 888-786-4243, info@everfin.com

MIXTAPE MONKEY

ESSENTIAL SPOTS The $1,000 winner of the CORE Economic Impact Most Promising High Growth Award, EssentialSpots is an interaction design company that uses Bluetooth low-energy “beacons” to connect businesses and smartphone users. Principal Keith Politte, former manager of the technology testing center at Reynolds Journalism Institute, says the beacons’ sensors and microlocation tagging add functionality to smartphone applications, giving users more than a mobile version of a website. Politte expects a revenue stream from selling subscriptions to businesses or onetime service fees to trade shows and

Music distributor Mark Serrano curates hip-hop music on his MixtapeMonkey website that fans won’t find on iTunes or Spotify. The website’s 2.7 million users may download or stream free mixtapes without subscriptions.

“One click,” Serrano says.

“No logins, no captcha codes, no waiting.” MixtapeMonkey’s artist pages offer exposure to those whose music Serrano samples. Revenue comes from ads on music pages.

Find Out More: www.mixtapemonkey.com, markserranoproductions@gmail.com SUMMER 2015

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THE HEALTHY GAMER A self-described former World of Warcraft addict, certified personal trainer Jack Jones is determined to change 1 billion lives in 30 years by helping video game players live healthier lifestyles.

His website, The Healthy Gamer, offers motivational and instructional content, e-books and fitness products. Revenue comes from website advertising, product sales and YouTube subscriptions.

Find Out More: www.thehealthygamer.com

ONE FOR ALL ADULT DAY CARE Diane Loepke and Ali Abbott provide a community-based, socially structured group program for functionally impaired adults. The service in Jefferson City offers individual and group activities in a creative environment.

The company charges fees for attendance.

Find Out More: www.oneforallprogram.com, 573-6354501, oneforallcenter@outlook.com

PICK CHAMP Matt Fischer’s Pick Champ is a social gaming platform that allows participants to challenge friends, families and people around the world to predict events. Available on a free mobile application, contests range from sports to entertainment to election returns.

Pick Champ’s revenue stream comes from contest sponsorships and partnerships.

Find Out More: www.pickchamp.co

SHOCK BOX Austin White and Benjamin Kessler, students at the State Technical College of Missouri in Linn, have developed a next-generation cellphone protective case that focuses on screen protection. The duo says the case is fire- and shock-resistant; the clear cover provides convenience. White and Kessler’s marketing plan is to sell the Shock Box in retail outlets.

Find Out More: benandaustinbusiness@gmail.com

Never too young to be bitten by the entrepreneurial bug, these mid-Missouri teens have turned their passions into innovative business ideas.

PHASE 2 FITNESS Using technology developed through the University of Missouri’s Biodesign and Innovation Program, Adam Rau’s company has developed a dual-pole weight machine he says will revolutionize the fitness industry.

“Our product is built around the need for a user to safely and effectively perform eccentric exercises without the help of a trainer,” says Rau. “Our machine allows the user to select different weight amounts for the concentric (up) and eccentric (down) portion of an exercise.”

Find Out More: 314-324-6236, getphase2fit@gmail.com

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FREIGHT CARE Kingdom Christian Academy freshman Hunter Middleton took inspiration from his grandfather’s stories of his truck-driving days and came up with Freight Care, a referral service for overthe-road truckers in need of health care when away from home. The program helps truckers find nearby hospitals or doctors’ offices, makes appointments and provides routing. The revenue stream comes through referrals from physicians.

The 15-year-old won first place in the high school category and $500.

Find Out More: 573-230-1980, HunterFreightCare@gmail.com

THE ELEMENTALS Macon High School students Maddie Hasten and JoAnn Schwieter head a student team that invests in people by raising funds and marketing students’ ideas. Their first project helped classmate Dominic Bergfield, a quadriplegic, acquire adaptive technology he used to publish his first book, Earth. The Elementals won the pitch competition’s $1,000 People’s Choice Award and garnered another $250 as the second-place winner in the high school category.

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THE CONFERENCE ROOM

RETAIL THERAPY

District Director Katie Essing Settles Into Her Dream Job

by KATHY CASTEEL

cat, two sugar gliders, a million fish and a 5-foot black snake named Reginald in the garden, who scares me every time.”

Essing balances scary garden encounters with introspection — yoga, meditation and running.

“I love running,” she says. “I do my best thinking while on a long MKT trail run.”

Essing shares some of that thinking in a conversation about The District’s eclectic business mix amid a downtown in transition.

Downtown Columbia has experienced significant changes in recent years. What are the challenges and opportunities of managing transition in this area?

K

atie Essing is living the dream. Six months into her new job as director of the Downtown Community Improvement District, she has immersed herself in the downtown’s small-business culture, working in what she calls her “dream career.”

Essing, 40, brings experience in retail and marketing to her new position.

She spent several years working for General Growth Properties — as general manager of Columbia Mall

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here and Jefferson City’s Capital Mall, as well as five years managing General Growth’s mall in Columbia, Md. She returned to mid-Missouri in 2013 to serve as vice president of marketing and communications for the Missouri Association of Realtors. A native of northwest Missouri, Essing has a degree in marketing from the University of Missouri and serves as an adjunct instructor of retail marketing at MU’s Trulaske College of Business.

She and her husband, Blake, have two sons and a multitude of pets. “Seriously,” she says, “a German shepherd, calico barn

Our downtown is at a critical point, as development is going to continue to be strong. Our opportunity as a Community Improvement District is to communicate and ensure that we understand the longterm impacts and overall vision for the area. The challenge is to keep up, to stay informed and involved in this rapidly moving discussion.

Our property owners are looking for thoughtful growth, with open discussion and communication. We are actively participating in the cityled process of creating development code form and development controls, mindful of elements such as building height and open space.

The Downtown CID recently completed its voluntary 2015 Design Guidelines, which establishes a common vision for the area and provides broad design principles for which all new projects should comply. Overall design guidelines provide general rules for new construction projects. The District’s design guidelines contribute to our strategic vision by promoting development of a constantly adapting community that provides opportunities for all to live, work and share community experiences in one place.

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How have you set about building trust among longtime city stakeholders and new players on the scene, who propose to take downtown to the next level?

Building relationships, one meeting at a time. I enjoy talking to and learning from our constituents, to understand their interests and concerns. It is very rewarding to establish partnerships and work together on projects that are mutually beneficial for our downtown and the business owners.

I have been working closely with the CID board, constituents and the city to add recycling to The District. We’ve listened to the community, which strongly supports this service. It is exciting to be part of a program that will make such a big impact.

I still have a lot of work yet to do in this area, with many more people to meet; however, it is a top priority. Whenever I need a break from my desk, I love to walk around The District to talk to people.

The city faces infrastructure issues throughout Columbia. What’s on downtown property owners’ “wish list” for infrastructure work in The District?

Items on the “wish list” include places for people — such as adequate gathering spaces, parking, wide sidewalks and safe accessibility for pedestrians, bicyclists and cars. We are also looking for infrastructure that meets the needs of business — effective sewer, utility and storm water management systems; landscaping and public art; efficient trash, recycling, grease locations; places for delivery trucks that don’t impact traffic flow.

Columbia’s traditional downtown faces competition from many areas in this growing college town. Are there initiatives on the table for The District to protect its market share?

Many of the other retail and commercial areas in Columbia house big-box, national retailers. These are important tenants for our community, as customers vote with their dollars and will travel to St. Louis or Kansas City or online to find what they are looking for. The District is different, as many of our businesses are locally owned and unique.

Our overall retail community is strong, with high occupancy levels and a powerful lineup of retailers and restaurants. We coexist well by offering our customers what they want, when they want it and where 28

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they want it. We are “A thriving downtown District that is the heartbeat of the city, built on its unique character and local authenticity, serving a unique mixed-use residents, workers, students and visitors.” area in that we offer — CID Vision for The District, 2015 Design Guidelines hotels, residential, local shops and restaurants, offices, bars and clubs, parks and trail access, personal service and gyms, churches and the city and county government offices.

Our customers can walk from location to location and choose from a variety of experiences.

The District is also known for historic structures that provide the charm PHOTO BY L.G. PATTERSON of downtown and architectural style. owners operate websites and market to We will continue to brand The District customers via social media, adapting to and use a multifaceted marketing campaign stay competitive. to reach the customers. We are really proud The District offers a merchandising mix of our new video series that captures our that includes unique, artistic, local products active, exciting environment. We also that you want to experience firsthand — promote The District via a weekly video while enjoying a handcrafted coffee beverage series, website, social media, traditional in hand and deciding which local restaurant advertising and signature events such as you’d like to enjoy after shopping!

Living Windows and Shop Hop.

Sales tax revenue appears to be plateauing in Columbia. As an indicator of business transactions, is this an area of concern?

The Downtown CID is funded by property and sales tax, and is projecting revenues to increase both this year and in fiscal year 2016 due to high occupancy levels and thriving business downtown. We are fortunate to have a high level of occupancy and well-performing businesses, with continued growth expected.

What can The District do to level the playing field for local retailers competing against online merchants that don’t charge sales tax? How are local merchants positioning themselves in this new era of commerce?

Customers still want to touch and feel merchandise, and enjoy the social experience of shopping and dining. Here you can meet your friends to enjoy dinner, drinks, shopping and music.

As a local business community, we must be aware of online shopping and our competition, and be nimble to adjust as needed. Several of our local business

What does downtown Columbia look like to you in five years, 10 years and 20 years?

We like to describe The District as a live/ work/play neighborhood that sparks the creative, the eclectic and the local. We’re a constantly adapting community of people, tradition blending harmoniously with high tech and the latest trends in fashion, food and the arts.

The District will need thoughtful growth over the next five, 10 and 20 years to maintain a retail mix that offers something for everyone — families, young adults, retirees, students. We currently have a balance of storefronts that are open at different times of day, so you can find active streets day and night.

More residential units are being planned and built, and we will continue to see growth in the number of people living downtown. The benefit of more residents is that people offer safety, vibrancy and support business.

As we grow, we also must work to maintain history and buildings that are important.

Another exciting project that the Downtown CID is currently working on is the Gateway Master Plan. This project

will help define the physical boundaries of The District, enhance the civic identity of our downtown and capture our active and artistic personality. The goals are to create four gateways into downtown that define the area, draw people to The District and further our brand. Elements include signage, landscaping, creative lighting and artwork, and a pedestrian-friendly infrastructure. I hope to have this well underway within five years!

What keeps you up at night?

Quality-of-life issues keep me up at night.

The District is a 24/7 place, with thousands of people enjoying our establishments late at night as well as residents who live downtown. I feel personally responsible that everyone is safe and secure, and that our downtown will be clean for our first coffee and doughnut shops and businesses to open in the morning.

This is an area of focus, which helps me sleep: The Downtown CID is currently working on a “hospitality zone assessment” with the Responsible Hospitality Institute.

This process is designed to empower our community to create short- and long-term action plans to successfully plan, manage and police our nighttime economy. We are talking to stakeholders with different perspectives and building consensus on plans that embrace entertainment, multiuse sidewalks, public safety, venue safety, transportation and quality of life. Our assessment is led by a team of community leaders and will include roundtable discussions from a variety of constituents to develop action plans we’ll complete by early fall.

What are the joys of promoting downtown Columbia?

The people! Our downtown is a strong community, with close relationships between business owners. The majority of our retailers and restaurants are locally owned and it is a pleasure to work with these talented and experienced individuals, who are passionate about both their business and the future of our downtown. There is a strong sense of pride in our place, and a willingness to work together. The District is such an eclectic, artistic, vibrant place — there is an energy and sense of opportunity when you are here. I truly enjoy being able to bring my retail experience and background to work on the downtown that I love … this is my dream career.

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B2B

WELCOME WAGON

The Connection Exchange Builds Networks Between Businesses

by HEATHER FINN

photos by L.G. PATTERSON

CARA OWINGS (LEFT) AND JENNIFER SCHENCK (RIGHT) OF THE CONNECTION EXCHANGE

C

ara Owings and Jennifer Schenck know that first impressions are often lasting ones — and they want to make yours for you. The Connection Exchange, the pair’s new business-to-business welcoming service, allows them to do just that.

Launched in March, The Connection Exchange provides an avenue for Columbia’s older, more established businesses to extend a warm welcome to new businesses without the traditional cold call. It’s quite simple, really: When Owings and Schenck get word of a new

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business in town, they set up a meeting with the owners. During that hourlong meeting, they present a briefcase of promotional items and marketing materials from their seasoned sponsor businesses and chat with the new business owners about their plans for the future. New businesses walk away from the meeting with a list of resources they can use for years to come; older businesses get a list of leads and a solid, friendly foundation for a professional relationship.

“We’re not a sales call,” Schenck says.

“We’re the welcome service. We’re a getto-know-you kind of thing. And yet our sponsors’ salespeople can follow up and

say, ‘Hey, did you get our gift?’ It’s an easy way to follow up without it feeling sales-y.”

Columbia businesses can become sponsors at two levels. A basic sponsorship includes contributions of pens, notepads and other promotional items to the briefcases; the premium level increases sponsor visibility with longer presentations, social media posts and more. Sponsor spots are limited, however, as Owings and Schenck have to put a cap on each industry category in order to keep the meetings with new business owners from becoming too long.

“We meet with all of our sponsors, so we get to know them well and make

Learn more about The Connection Exchange at www.connection-exchange.com. Want to become a sponsor business? Contact Owings and Schenck at info@connection-exchange.com.

sure they’re a good fit and we’re a good fit for them,” Owings says.

The Connection Exchange also offers Quarterly Connection events to allow sponsor businesses and new businesses to network; the first event is scheduled for late June at Room 38 Restaurant & Lounge, 38 N. Eighth St. Chamber of Commerce President Matt McCormick says Columbia has never seen anything quite like The Connection Exchange, which he believes can only help the local business community.

“As they grow, all businesses need each other for the products, vendors and services that they use,” McCormick says. “It’s not just always business-tocustomer. It’s also business-to-business.

Businesses help each other grow.”

Ultimately, Schenck and Owings hope their service will help local businesses, both young and old, make connections with the most trustworthy and honest businesses in town.

“If we were meeting a new friend for the first time, and they’re new in town and need a bank, we’re going to introduce them to a bank that we feel confident in and that we like to work with,” Schenck says. “We’ll give them our personal recommendation, and that’s just what this is.”

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ASPIRATIONS

BETTER TOGETHER Former Competitors Pool Their Talents To Improve Their Business Model “If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em.”

F

or the owners of newly formed Peak Sport and Spine Rehab, that old adage proved to be good business advice. Athletic trainer Mark Dempsey and physical therapists Shaon Fry and Todd Ankenman are the former owners of Peak Performance Physical Therapy & Sports Medicine. Physical therapist Phillip Smith is the former owner of Sport and Spine Rehab. The quartet merged the two companies to create Peak Sport and Spine Rehab last November.

“We’ve always had a mutual respect for each other,” Smith says. “But as former competitors, it was challenging at first to admit that we could do better working together than we could working against each other. As we learned more about each other’s values and belief systems, it was clear that we had the same goals and objectives.”

The merger took 1½ years to complete. Dempsey and Smith say the most difficult part of the process was dealing with all of the paperwork.

They had to integrate their employee and patient records, and revamp their billing system. Despite the often-tedious process, the company has seen many advantages in the months since the merger. The partners have hired 12 new staff members and opened three more clinics.

“We’ve become more efficient since the merger,” explains Dempsey.

“Bundling costs and sharing expenses have allowed the business to grow. We also have the ability to leverage more contracts than we could before.”

Smith says the merger also allows Peak Sport and Spine Rehab to better handle changes in the health care industry. One example is the move

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by PORCSHE N. MORAN • photo by L.G. PATTERSON

toward accountable care organizations, which are networks of doctors and hospitals that share responsibility for patient care. Their goal is to deliver high-quality care without unnecessary spending.

“We saw changes coming three years ago, and we took steps to get out in front of them,” Smith says. “We wanted to be able to compete and make it more viable for us to participate in ACOs. Many ACOs

are forming in St. Louis and Kansas City.

We’ve set ourselves up regionally to be able to accept patients from all areas.”

TEAMWORK Collaboration is critical to Peak Sport and Spine’s success. Unlike most businesses, the company doesn’t advertise its services to potential clients. Each patient comes from a referral. The company generates the majority of its business through

From left to right: Phillip Smith, Shaon Fry, Mark Dempsey and Todd Ankenman

relationships with physicians. Referrals also come from employers and personalinjury lawyers. The partners note, though, that they sometimes come up against closed hospital systems that don’t allow referrals to outside health care providers.

“We have to earn every patient,” Smith says. “It’s a constant struggle to develop new relationships. People have the choice to choose their caregivers, but it’s very seldom that a patient will choose someone different if the physician recommends someone inside their own system. Our only avenue is to get in front of physicians and earn their respect.

Sometimes, the biggest challenge is just getting in front of the physician to start with.”

Ankenman says that maintaining professional relationships is an ongoing process that doesn’t always end with the initial patient referral.

“The most important way to develop relationships is through providing great service,” he says. “If it needs to be done, we strive to do it. We try to anticipate what our referral sources need, and we try to facilitate those needs, even if we don’t provide it ourselves. If a physician or patient has a need, we make it happen.”

Hospitals present the main competition for Peak Sport and Spine Rehab. Smith says that many private practices are struggling to stay in business because hospital-based clinics often get more favorable contracts from insurance carriers. He is a vocal proponent of equal pay for equal services legislation that would require health insurance companies to provide the same reimbursement to private-practice providers as to hospital-run physical therapy clinics.

WHATEVER IT TAKES In a challenging marketplace, the owners of Peak Sport and Spine Rehab do everything they can to get a competitive edge. They attend conferences and do research to stay up-to-date on the latest technology that might help their patients.

They are members of professional organizations, such as the Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association and the American Physical Therapy Association.

They use resources from the U.S. Small Business Administration and Regional Economic Development Inc. Above all, they strive to maintain a high level of patient care. And quality work is always good for business.

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“The patient is always right and the patient always comes first,” says Smith.

“When a patient leaves our clinic happy, they will often send their relatives or friends to us.”

Peak Sport and Spine Rehab is the largest privately owned physical therapy company in Missouri. It has 25 locations throughout central Missouri and the St. Louis area. Columbia is home to five of the clinics and serves as the firm’s headquarters. Peak Sport and Spine Rehab has contracts with 23 schools in the state, including all four of Columbia’s high schools. The company’s certified athletic trainers provide sport injury management services, such as sporting event coverage, educational talks and consultations.

LET’S TALK With so many moving parts, the partners have learned that constant communication is a priority. When they can’t be in the same room, text messages, emails and tools such as shared Google documents and synced calendars keep them all on the same page.

“We meet at least two times every week,” Smith says. “We all work 60 to 80 hours a week, but we find the time to get together, whether it is at 6 in the morning or 7:30 at night. We talk through everything as a group, and we make decisions as a group. If anything, we might overcommunicate.”

The four partners have equal input into every business decision, but Smith and Dempsey say they handle 90 percent of the daily administration of the 34

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company. The pair has stopped seeing patients for now.

“There are sacrifices that go into taking care of multiple clinics and 100plus employees,” says Smith. “Every decision that we make affects not only us, but also our staff and their families.”

Ankenman and Fry are still full-time practicing physical therapists, in addition to their duties as owners. Ankenman says they have to work as a team and back up each other to keep the business running smoothly.

“Balancing clinical practice and duties as an owner has always been a challenge,” Ankenman says. “The clinical schedule is very rigid, but many of the tasks for the business require flexibility and immediate attention. Being familiar with each other’s thinking and having trust allows us to get things done.”

CONNECTIONS Peak Sport and Spine’s 175 employees are a critical part of the business. The partners support their staff in pursuing continuing education. Since the merger, they also have increased their employees’ benefits.

“We try to foster independence and empowerment among employees,” says Dempsey. “We believe in investing in our people. Our employees are very motivated. One of our biggest struggles has been to create opportunities as fast as our employees are asking for them.”

Another important piece of the business is community involvement.

Peak Sport and Spine Rehab sponsors

several local golf tournaments each year. The partners are also members of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.

In April, Peak Sport and Spine Rehab hosted a 5K fundraiser for Kids’ Chance of Missouri, a not-for-profit organization that provides post-high school scholarships to children of Missouri workers killed or catastrophically injured on the job. In May, Columbia Public Schools honored the company for its 15 years of participation in the school district’s Partners in Education program.

“I’m proud of my partners and employees,” Smith says. “We feel lucky to be in a position to help our patients every day, and also be active in giving back to the community.”

GROWTH MODE Smith, Dempsey, Ankenman and Fry have big plans for the future of Peak Sport and Spine Rehab. By fall, they hope to hire 30 more employees. They are currently making plans to open more clinics in the St. Louis area, and they have regional expansion plans throughout central Missouri as well. Smith says other private practitioners in the state have reached out to them about the possibility of working together.

“We want our clinics to be where the patients are, so they don’t have to drive out of their way to get to us,” Smith says.

“We like to create win-win and no-brainer situations. The merger fit that criteria, and we want to keep making those types of decisions as we move forward.”

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COACH’S CLIPBOARD

BALANCING ACT

4 Keys To Winning At Work Without Losing Elsewhere

by GARY PINKEL

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he demands of the season, albeit a successful one, have waned slightly. The next season is fully on the radar but still far enough in the distance to offer a slight window into things beyond game plans and detailed schedules.

While in this window, the overused but underlived phrase of work/life balance has been on my mind. Cliché perhaps, but it’s something we’re all searching for, something we all desire.

Is it possible to uncover the secret to the mystical work/life balance point?

Can you really perform at an incredibly high level at work and in the rest of your life? Or does one always have to suffer at the other’s expense?

I believe balance is not only possible but expected. Here are four keys to ensure success in both the professional and personal areas of life.

Be deliberate.

1

Without an intentional, specific plan, people drift toward whatever is most convenient or provides the least resistance.

Perhaps that expresses itself as workaholism and an endless pursuit of career, thereby destroying — or at least minimizing — your impact in other areas of life. Or the lack of a plan could present itself as a full pursuit of life’s noncareer events, quenching ambition.

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2

Evaluate everything .

If you’re not doing this already, start now. Begin to evaluate everything.

What time are you going to bed?

How much are you working?

Are you finding time to exercise?

Are you eating well?

What is working best? What isn’t working?

Where are you wasting time? Where can you be more efficient?

Be brutally honest with yourself; be objective.

If your actions — not simply your intentions — aren’t moving you closer to strength at work and in the rest of your life, then you need new actions.

3

Don’t confuse activity with productivity.

It’s easy to notice, and ultimately reward, activity. First one in, last one to leave — that sort of thing. Of course, there is a place for sustained, hard work and long hours, but don’t fall for the lie that activity always equals productivity.

Fight for clarity on exactly what needs to be done and find the most productive way to do that. And quit wasting hours by simply being busy; be productive instead.

4

Use your position to create influence.

In the high-pressure, highly visible world of Southeastern Conference football, coaches are expected to sacrifice life for the sake of their career. Not so fast!

One critical component we have built into the rhythms of our coaching staff is a schedule that includes family time. Over the years, the football schedule has been designed to allow our coaches to be home every night to see their families, even during the season — especially during the season. I wasn’t afforded that opportunity as I rose through the coaching ranks, and I wish I would have done more of that. Now, I’m doing my best to use my position as a means of influence on our coaching staff and their families.

It’s easy to talk about work/life balance, it’s a tougher thing to pursue it and make it a part of your life.

Gary Pinkel has been head coach of the University of Missouri football team for 14 seasons. The 2014 SEC Coach of the Year, he is the winningest coach in Mizzou football history, collecting his 102nd win in the 2014 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic. A 1973 graduate of Kent State University, Pinkel is a member of the University of Toledo Athletic Hall of Fame.

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HEALTHY Tracking Changes In The CoMo Health Care Landscape

MOVES

by KATHY CASTEEL • photos by L.G. PATTERSON

Columbia has always been a medical mecca. The health care

industry is a dominant player in the local economy, employing more people than any other sector. The city is home to the second-most hospital beds per capita in the country.

And as the old song goes, the times they are a-changin’. A flurry of mergers, expansions and new affiliations in the past few years has put a new face on Columbia’s health care industry. For those keeping score, here’s a look at recent changes in the local health care business.

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Within the Show-Me State, MU Health Care has formed The Health Network of Missouri, a collaborative regional system of six providers. Other members include Bothwell Regional Health Center in Sedalia, Capital Region Medical Center in Jefferson City, Hannibal Regional Healthcare System, Lake Regional Health System in Osage Beach and Saint Francis Healthcare System in Cape Girardeau. The group accounts for more than 1,000 hospital beds, more than 10,700 employees and approximately 1,200 affiliated physicians.

A larger, multistate health care network formed when MU Health Care joined forces with St. Louis-based Mercy and St. Joseph-based Mosaic Life Care to create MPact Health. The scope of MPact serves patients in urban and rural areas of Missouri and surrounding states with more than 5,600 hospital beds, more than 47,000 employees and approximately 3,000 employed and affiliated physicians.

Network members aim to expand telemedicine to underserved “Health care today areas, create a database for requires collaboration across multiple analytical research and evidencehospitals and clinics, based medicine, and explore medical specialists and the development of a clinically geographic boundaries.” integrated network of employed, — MU Health Care CEO independent and private practice Mitch Wasden physicians.

A BIGGER PIECE OF THE PIE “Any industry that is under competitive and financial strain will always see consolidations and partnerships as a result,” says University of Missouri Health Care CEO Mitch Wasden. “This trend will only increase but will eventually reach a steady state in the next three to five years when many of the changes from the Affordable Care Act have worked through the industry.”

The area’s largest health system, University of Missouri Health Care, has formed a plethora of partnerships, networks and other affiliations as it further expands its reach throughout Missouri.

In March 2014, Ellis Fischel Cancer Center joined the MD Anderson Cancer Network, an affiliation of 14 certified provider hospitals in 10 states. The network provides expertise to members, ranging from quality assurance and specialty disease programs to full clinical integration. The Houston-based University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center is one of the nation’s leading cancer centers.

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Last fall, Columbia Surgical Associates affiliated with the University of Missouri Health System, forming a separate corporation. CSA physicians — specialists in general, bariatric, vascular, colorectal and breast cancer surgery — perform many surgical procedures at Boone Hospital Center but now have privileges as well at University Hospital, MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital and other MU Health Care facilities. The affiliates tout increased efficiency, medical school opportunities and expanded use of electronic medical records technology as assets in the new arrangement.

JOINING FORCES MU Women’s and Children’s Hospital has affiliated with BJC’s St. Louis Children’s Hospital, the oldest pediatric hospital west of the Mississippi River. SLCH’s parent company, BJC HealthCare, also operates Boone Hospital Center in Columbia.

In perhaps its most controversial move, MU Health Care partnered last year with Nueterra, a health care management company based in Leawood, Kan., to purchase Callaway Community Hospital in Fulton. The minority ownership arrangement (about 35 percent) known as Fulton Medical Center LLC allows MU Health Care to continue operating its University PhysiciansCallaway Physicians clinic near the Fulton hospital, as it has since 1974. In February, Fulton Medical Center announced plans to build a 10-bed surgical hospital in south Columbia. Boone Hospital Center opposes the proposed hospital as a duplication of services already provided in Columbia by the four existing hospital systems.

The health system opened South Providence Medical Park earlier this year. The newly constructed facility on Southampton Drive brought 250 employees from other MU Health Care locations to staff it; MU Health Care officials expect more than 100,000 patient visits to the medical park this year. The building was designed to accommodate future growth, as planners anticipate the need for outpatient services to increase in the future.

A June groundbreaking opened construction on a $40 million, four-story expansion of the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute. The expansion, set for completion by 2017, will increase clinical space for surgical, inpatient, outpatient and physical therapy services by about 86,000 square feet. The fourth floor of the new addition will be dedicated space for research. The 34 physicians at the Orthopaedic Institute specialize in sports medicine, joint replacement and pediatrics, as well as hip and knee, foot and ankle, shoulder, hand, spine, oncology and trauma care.

A collaboration with Cox Health and Mercy has the go-ahead for a University of Missouri School of Medicine Clinical Campus in Springfield and a master of occupational therapy degree program at Missouri State University.

The retirement of Hal Williamson, executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Missouri, has sparked a reorganization of the health system’s administration. A clinical management committee of the MU Health Care CEO and the deans of the medical, nursing and health professions schools will operate the health care system.

The search for quality and efficiency does not stop at Columbia’s hospital properties. Last November, Urology Associates of Central Missouri merged with Missouri Cancer Associates in a move to deliver more integrated, coordinated care in an independent setting.

The move gave Urology Associates affiliation with The US Oncology Network, a nationwide network of 1,000 independent community-based cancer physicians spanning medical and radiation oncology, surgery and urology.

“This union consolidates resources and talents to overcome the challenges today’s healthcare environment presents,” says Practice Director Debbie Barnes.

“It allows us to remain an independent and physician-led practice.’

Urology Associates has also formed an affiliation with Epoch Men’s Health.

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“This is not just the evolution of health care but a systematic, conscious approach to altering the financial incentives and the burden of risk relative to keeping people healthy.”

— Boone Hospital Center President Jim Sinek

GROWING THE BRAND “Given the direction the health care industry is moving, you will see significant integration between health care providers,” says Boone Hospital Center President Jim Sinek. “Providers are now being incentivized to better coordinate care for patients across the entire spectrum of health and in fact, are penalized financially for less than optimal clinical outcomes, low patient satisfaction and inefficient care.”

County-owned Boone Hospital has been expanding its brand in its service area. The hospital, operated by St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare through a lease agreement with the county, serves a 26-county area in mid-Missouri. BJC offers additional access to a growing network of health providers, including 14 hospitals, and is pursuing other collaborations and affiliations.

“The providers who will be successful,” Sinek says, “will be those who welcome integration, partnerships and development of clinical and financial systems and structure to manage the quality and cost of health care in a fundamentally different way than ever before.”

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A new medical complex under construction in south Columbia will give new exposure to Boone Hospital. Phase 1 of Boone Hospital South Campus, located at the corner of Nifong and Forum boulevards, is scheduled for completion in late 2015.

The 80,000-square-foot building was designed to reflect the architectural features of the main Boone Hospital campus on William Street. The 14-acre site has the potential to house four buildings with a total of 132,000 square feet of space for health care services.

In January, all health care practices affiliated with Boone Hospital Center were consolidated under a new brand, Boone Medical Group. The new brand offers increased awareness of the practices and leverages the familiarity of the Boone Hospital Center name.

There are three Boone Medical Group practices in Columbia, plus a convenient care clinic and a specialty clinic for diabetes and endocrinology.

Additional mid-Missouri BMG practices are located in Ashland, Boonville, Centralia and Mexico.

The Missouri Heart Center, a part of Boone Hospital Center, opened a cardiology clinic in Macon in February. The Macon clinic will offer a full range of cardiovascular testing capability, including cardiac and vascular ultrasound, ambulatory rhythm monitoring such as Holter and event monitors, implantable cardiac device rhythm management for pacemaker and defibrillator care, nuclear medicine imaging and stress testing. Nine of Missouri Heart Center’s cardiologists provide fulltime cardiology services out of the Macon clinic.

Boone Hospital Center has formed affiliations with three community hospitals in rural Missouri: Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall, Samaritan Hospital in Macon and Pershing Memorial Hospital in Brookfield. The affiliation affords these health care providers the ability to coordinate care for patients who move back and forth between their respective facilities, Sinek says, providing a higher quality clinical outcome and experience for patients and their family members while improving the process for providers and support teams. “Boone Hospital Center strives to support the local hospitals and providers to keep care local,” Sinek says. “If a patient can receive quality care closer to home with support from Boone Hospital Center, it is a win-win.”

It’s a new era for health care, Sinek says. One that “puts the patient at the forefront, where they belong, and requires health care providers to work collaboratively with each other to keep patients healthy and out of the hospital. The need going forward will be focused on helping specific populations stay healthy through wellness, education, screenings and, when appropriate, outpatient services.”

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POWER POINT Energy Pioneer Mike Mehrdad Leads ETI To The Next Frontier

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BY KATHY CASTEEL PHOTOS BY L.G. PATTERSON

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If

you think “smart building” technology is a product of the 21st century, well … you would be wrong.

Dial back your assumptions to the early 1980s, when a young, American-educated immigrant settled in Columbia with a novel idea for radically adjusting energy efficiency in some of our most inefficient structures through automation. His company, Electenergy Technologies Inc., has been quietly changing the way businesses power their buildings ever since. Its signature product, a power conditioning system dubbed ElectroFlow, is in use in hundreds of industrial and commercial facilities on six continents, with a customer list that reads like a veritable Who’s Who of the world’s largest multinational corporations. The quiet little engineering business is now a multimillion-dollar company with a presence in 112 countries.

“When we started, I had zero sense of its commercial value,” says ETI’s president, Mike Mehrdad. “ElectroFlow was just a solution to a problem. I didn’t see the monetary value.”

MEHRDAD LIKES TO CALL his ETI crew “energy doctors.” He draws an analogy between electrical circuitry and the human body’s circulatory system.

“We start out with a free checkup for the system,” Mehrdad says. “We diagnose the weaknesses and inefficiencies, issue a report, and prescribe a solution.”

ETI also produces the Harmonitor 3000, a diagnostic tool that analyzes various elements of a building’s power system — sort of an EKG for the building, if you will. The handheld device is equipped with a microprocessor that downloads the data to a computer and exports it via the Internet to ETI in Columbia.

“Analysis is in two seconds,” Mehrdad says. “Just like that, we generate a 30-page report on a power system’s problems — glitches, waste, inefficiencies. The checkup is free — no strings.”

The ETI Power Rx For Business For those who choose to let ETI solve their power woes, the company will sell them an ElectroFlow system, customized to the business’ specific needs. The modular units are unique in the world and can perform up to 11 functions (five of which are exclusive to ElectroFlow) that monitor electrical use and stabilize a system to reduce power consumption, Mehrdad says. The first six functions are standard in every unit: Voltage improvement and stability, which minimizes heat generation and increases longevity of equipment Three-phase balancing of load over all current to equalize demand

Surge suppression to shield equipment against surges, transients and power spikes by storing and recycling voltage on an even keel Harmonics mitigation to protect against the harmful side effects of sophisticated energy use by capturing “broadband frequencies” and recycling the voltage in a steady state

Power factor improvement without loss of capacity and energy in the distribution system

Reducing losses and freeing capacity to increase available supply Optional features tailor the ElectroFlow units to a facility’s needs. ETI installs additional modules to provide brownout protection, intermittent failure protection, large-scale industrial harmonics mitigation and a fail-safe option for phase-loss synthesis to prevent outages triggered by overloads.

ElectroFlow’s newest feature, added six months ago at the behest of Nestlé engineers, offers remote monitoring and control to track power usage, quality and potential problems.

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The prescription is a customized ElectroFlow system. “The standard features protect equipment and productivity,” Mehrdad says. “The options customize the units. Intermittent failures, for example, can be just a blink in voltage. It can happen many times in a day. But that blink causes a glitch that could ruin an MRI at a hospital, offset the seam in a plastic bag, or cut the wrong size PVC pipe. On the Ford assembly line, robots do a lot of the precision work.

An intermittent failure ‘glitch’ could put a part off by one two-thousandth of an inch.

And that part will be rejected.”

Ford Motor Co. is an ETI customer, along with a host of other industrial clients — General Motors, Cargill, Nestlé, Heinz, Del Monte, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Intel, Alcoa, General Electric, Siemens, Panasonic, DHL, UPS and others. Commercial clients include hotels, hospitals, banks and office buildings. The company sells about 300 to 350 systems a year, in varying sizes. Prices for individual ElectroFlow units range 46

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from $3,000 to $50,000 per transformer load, Mehrdad says. Large factories usually have more than one transformer, he notes, adding that automotive plants typically have about 50 transformers.

BORN IN IRAN, MEHRDAD arrived in the United States in the early ’70s as a 17-year-old college freshman. His father, a transportation official in Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s government, moved his family to Missouri as part of an executive exchange program with Burlington Northern Railway. Young Mehrdad headed for Rolla, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering at the University of Missouri campus there. He moved to Columbia for an EE master’s degree at MU and started his Ph.D. work in electrical engineering with an emphasis on electromagnetics and power systems, eventually transferring to the University of Kansas to finish his doctorate.

Mehrdad returned to Columbia in 1981 and created ETI from his father Mohsen’s consulting firm.

“When I started with the company, ElectroFlow could do three things,” he says. “We just kept adding features.”

He sold his first ElectroFlow unit in 1982 to Central States Diversified in St. Louis. Success came in international markets, where until about three years ago 95 percent of ETI’s sales took place. “We have made extra efforts to increase our domestic sales lately,” Mehrdad says. “Sales growth has been ranging 5 to 10 percent better than the previous year. We are bullish this year and project our sales to exceed 30 percent over that of last year.”

Now with 18 employees in Columbia and multiple licensees in other countries, the company has grown to global proportions through word-of-mouth and referrals from satisfied clients, Mehrdad says.

At left: The ETI staff includes (left to right) Dory Eslami, Hossein Moosavi, Herschel Butler, Al Rawi, Jack Long, Brian Hays and company President Mike Mehrdad.

Above: The Harmonitor 3000 is ETI’s diagnostic tool that analyzes power systems in buildings. When ETI first began offering power system analysis, Mehrdad couldn’t find a suitable instrument that performed the way he wanted it to, so he created his own. ETI also produces the Harmonitor.

At right: Jack Long assembles an ElectroFlow unit.

“Results are 100 percent guaranteed,” he says. “I tell our clients that we do it Show-Me State style here — if you don’t save on energy costs, you owe us nothing.”

With the company’s reputation on the line, “I can’t afford to make one mistake,” he says. ETI’s Columbia employees design and assemble products under strict quality control in three facilities here for the company’s domestic market.

Products bound for international markets are created here but assembled and installed overseas by workers trained in Columbia. “We have control over every unit designed, assembled and installed,” Mehrdad says. “We still have to answer for our product.”

ETI promises ElectroFlow will pay for itself in energy savings within two years of installation. Mehrdad backs it up with a performance bond. “If you don’t get the energy savings we promise, we make up the difference.”

And, he adds, “We’ve never been sued and we’ve never had to pay out.”

ETI’S LOCAL FOOTPRINT is deepening this year. The company counts Boone Hospital Center, DeLong’s steel fabricators, Von Hoffman Press, Extrusion Technologies and Lincoln University among its midMissouri customers, yet it has operated under the radar in its hometown for more than three decades.

That all changed this spring when ETI burst into the social media sphere and won the 2015 Battle of the Brands competition Mehrdad’s prize included a pair of boxing gloves. Sponsored by SourceLink, Battle of the Brands is an annual bracket-style competition powered by social media During the course of the competition, more than 7,000 people viewed ETI’s company name.

The company’s higher profile caught the eye of Columbia City Council

Representative Laura Nauser. After a meeting she arranged with city officials, Mehrdad says he has hopes of working with the city on some future projects.

In early 2016, ETI will launch a residential version of ElectroFlow. “We will have two models,” Mehrdad says. “A single appliance application — for those who know nothing about electricity — and a whole-house ElectroFlow.”

Mehrdad plans to offer the same guarantee and deliver the same energy savings with his residential product that his commercial customers enjoy. “People like to save money,” he says, and he has a pile of letters to “Dr. Mike” and shelves full of awards testifying to that. “General Motors would have been happy with a 2 percent energy savings. We gave them more. We promised Cargill an 11 percent savings and they got 18. People get promoted when things work out like that.”

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ADV E RTI S I N G S ECTI O N

10 years

ADV E RTI S I N G S ECTI O N

LE G A CY

B U S IN E SS ES Inside Columbia’s CEO Celebrates Columbia Businesses More Than 10 Years Strong!

Other businesses may come and go, but some Columbia companies have become institutions in our city. Over the decades, they’ve built a reputation for reliability and impeccable service. When faced with any challenge, they meet it head-on and emerge stronger.

Solid, locally owned businesses play a vital economic role in our community and we celebrate these companies that have been making Columbia a better place to live for many years.

ADV E RTI S I N G S ECTI O N Legacy BUSINESSES

Legacy Businesses

CELEBRATING COLUMBIA BUSINESSES SINCE 1975

Dave Griggs’ Flooring America

D

ave Griggs grew up working construction for others, but always had an entrepreneurial bent. In 1975, he opened Color World Inc., which would later evolve into Dave Griggs’ Flooring America.

Griggs realizes that an experienced staff and a diverse business mix have helped his local company stay well positioned versus larger competitors.

As a member of the Flooring America cooperative, Griggs’ customers benefit from its national buying power. “I firmly believe that we have flooring for virtually every budget and for virtually every need,” he says.

Griggs has always tried to bring the best flooring products to the market. “If I personally 50

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don’t believe in the product, or my staff questions its integrity or the honesty of the company behind it, you won’t find it in my store,” he says.

Playing an active part and investing in the Columbia community is very important to Griggs and his staff. His company is a past recipient of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce Small Business Award. “I’ve been privileged to have served many community-based organizations over the years,” he says. “I strongly believe the relationships I’ve made while serving in those capacities have played a key part in building our business.”

Griggs would like to thank the community for supporting his business for the past 40 years.

ADV E RTI S I N G S ECTI O N Legacy BUSINESSES

Legacy Businesses

CELEBRATING COLUMBIA BUSINESSES SINCE 1976

B

Kliethermes Homes and Remodeling Inc.

ack in 1976, after working for several local contractors while attending MU, Dan Kliethermes caught the building bug and decided to start his own business: Kliethermes Homes and Remodeling Inc. Today, it’s one of only a few design/build firms in Columbia.

“You do not need to go to an architect first in order to create a space for your home,” says Dan’s son, Cale Kliethermes, general manager/owner.

“Either new construction or remodeling, we can design and build whatever the needs are.”

Kliethermes says successful projects start with understanding. “We seek first to understand the homeowners’ ideas through their eyes. When we do this, we can design a project that really meets their needs. Actually, a lot of times it exceeds them.”

There’s one misconception about his firm that

Kliethermes would like to clear up: that they’re expensive. “What we find is expensive is doing it the wrong way first and then having to go back and redo it the right way the second time.”

When asked to explain the firm’s continued success in Columbia, Kliethermes offers a simple explanation. “Do the right thing when no one’s looking,” he says, and “if you have to ask yourself, ‘is it good enough?’ then it’s not!” This philosophy has served the firm well, and helped it weather the many economic challenges of the housing market.

Kliethermes feels that Columbia supports his business because “we do what we say we’re going to do.” The business makes it a priority to support the community in return, by giving back when it can, either with time or money.

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ADV E RTI S I N G S ECTI O N Legacy BUSINESSES

Legacy Businesses

CELEBRATING COLUMBIA BUSINESSES SINCE 1994

Missouri Employers Mutual

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n 1994, Missouri’s legislature created Missouri Employers Mutual to solve the workers’ compensation crisis of affordability and accessibility. The following year, MEM opened its doors with no policyholders and a $5 million startup loan from the state.

According to Jim Owen, MEM president and CEO, launching that way was the most difficult situation the business has faced. “Opening our doors with no policyholders was a major challenge for any insurance company!” Owen says. “Fortunately, we had great partners in all Missouri independent agents, employees, and the initial policyholders who placed their trust in us.”

That trust was well-founded. By the end of 1995, MEM had captured the No. 1 spot in Missouri’s workers compensation market, a distinction it still holds today by a wide margin.

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Owen says one secret to the company’s longstanding success is the fact that its employees are safety obsessed. “At MEM, we’re safety fanatics, which means we’re passionate about eliminating workplace injuries,” he says. Indeed, MEM delivers more workplace safety resources than other carriers, including an entire website dedicated to workplace safety.

All its efforts pay off: “More than 80 percent of our policyholders are injury-free in a typical year,” Owen says. When there are claims, MEM responds with prompt, personal claims service.

The company takes pride in helping not only those injured at work, but the people and partners in their communities throughout the state. “MEM and our employees are generous contributors of their time and money through volunteerism, charitable giving and corporate sponsorships,” Owen says.

ADV E RTI S I N G S ECTI O N Legacy BUSINESSES

Legacy Businesses

CELEBRATING COLUMBIA BUSINESSES SINCE 1995

Visionworks Marketing Group

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t was a cool, early spring evening in 1995, and Lili Vianello was brainstorming career ideas with a group of friends over dinner.

The topic turned to one of her passions – graphic design – which led to sharing thoughts about how to assemble a business plan. By the last bites of dessert, a vision had come into focus.

Visionworks Marketing Group (then known as Visionworks Graphic Design) started as a two-person operation in Vianello’s home the next day. Twenty years later, the company has survived the inevitable ups and downs that challenge every new business, big or small.

Vianello remembers the process of establishing a foothold in a competitive marketplace – and keeping it – as a humbling time.

“Transition and change is always difficult,”

she says from her office in south Columbia. “In two decades of business, we’ve had times of significant staff changes, which I now recognize as great opportunities to refocus and reinvent ourselves.”

Navigating change within the marketplace and turnover among her staff are skills that Vianello had to master on the fly. During that trying first year, abrupt personnel changes made it seem as though Visionworks might not work out. But she persevered.

Vianello says there’s no secret formula to her business’ success: “Do what you say you’re going to do. Charge the price you quote. Take care of people the way you would want to be taken care of, be it a co-worker, vendor or client.”

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ADV E RTI S I N G S ECTI O N Legacy BUSINESSES

Legacy Businesses

CELEBRATING COLUMBIA BUSINESSES SINCE 2002

Mutrux Automotive

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n 2002, after 22 years working in the corporate world of the automotive industry, Ross Mutrux decided it was time to open up a small garage to call his own, one that would have a more personal appeal to customers. With that, Mutrux Automotive was born.

The business Mutrux owns with his wife, Cindy, is a full-service gas station and garage. “We can do everything a large garage can do,” Mutrux says. But Mutrux Automotive can do something large garages can’t: fill up customers’ cars. “Who doesn’t want their gas pumped?” Mutrux asks.

Indeed, many Columbians are happy to come in for the convenience.

Dealing with his garage is “like a step back into Mayberry,” Mutrux says. People appreciate 54

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the personal attention and high level of customer service. Sometimes that service really goes above and beyond. Mutrux recalls one particular example: “We saved a lady’s life who was locked in her car at Walmart,” he says. “It was a very hot summer day and she couldn’t get out; her battery was dead.”

Mutrux credits a simple formula for his business’s continued success: “Be honest, never quit, always smile, keep a positive attitude.”

Mutrux adds that being understanding is also important. “You never know the other person’s battles,” he says. His own personal battle has been one of space. He says it’s been hard “finding room on our parking lot to park all the cars.”

ADV E RTI S I N G S ECTI O N Legacy BUSINESSES

Legacy Businesses

CELEBRATING COLUMBIA BUSINESSES SINCE 2002

Dents Unlimited Columbia

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hen Marc LaFeriere and Ryan Garrett examined the Columbia market in 2002, they noted that there were no paintless dent repair shops in town. So they decided to open one.

By 2005, they were doing minor paint repair and refinish, primarily for the wholesale dealer market.

Then, in 2006, they purchased the 17,000 square foot shop that houses Dents Unlimited Columbia today.

During its early years, the business faced some tough times, especially each winter when demand for cosmetic repair would slow. By gradually expanding the shop’s services well beyond small dent and minor cosmetic repair, LaFeriere — who bought out Garrett in 2012 — was eventually able to maintain a steady workflow throughout the year. Dents Unlimited Columbia now offers collision repair, paintless dent repair, mechanical repair, and auto glass repair and

replacement. “Many potential customers do not know we repair severe structural damage as well as mechanical work, including state inspections, brakes and tires, and heavy mechanical work,” he says.

LaFeriere is proud of the relationship of trust that his business has built with the local community. “We do a ton of repeat and referral business,” he says, “because customers know we offer them honest opinions and stay educated on the repair needs of today’s complex vehicles.” He wants Columbians to know how much he truly appreciates their continued trust and support.

“We have tried to do something different by offering multiple services while maintaining quality standards, trust, and a genuine desire to do best by our customers,” he says. “Hard work and dedication have kept us growing and improving.”

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o R E S T A U R A N T S

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Support Our Locally Owned Restaurants When you dine at local restaurants, you help support small-business owners who spend their dollars in the community.

These dollars help keep our neighbors gainfully employed; the cycle continues as employees spend their wages on local arts, culture and other areas of the economy.

Eating local pays BIG dividends for Columbia!

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o R E S T A U R A N T S

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DIVIDENDS

EXECUTIVE TRAVEL

Business On The Move

by PORCSHE N. MORAN

Road warriors log countless miles in the air and on the road, so their luggage and travel accessories must keep up with their fast-paced lifestyle. Durable, compact and lightweight bags save time and reduce headaches on the go. Whether it’s an overnight trip or an extended stay, these professional pieces are made with the needs of the business traveler in mind.

Leather overnight briefcase by J.W. Hulme, available at www.brooksbrothers.com ($990)

Architecture 3.0 Rolling Parliament expandable laptop bag

by Victorinox, available at www.swissarmy.com ($469.99)

Alpha 2 carry-on four-wheeled garment bag by Tumi, available at www.tumi.com ($840)

Coated twill hanging travel kit by Kenneth Cole New York, available at www.kennethcole.com ($79)

Pack-It Starter Set by Eagle Creek, available at Alpine Shop ($35.20)

Expandable cabin bag by Briggs & Riley, available at www.briggs-riley.com ($239)

WalkAbout 2 expandable 21-inch spinner carry-on suitcase by Travelpro, available at Macy’s ($280)

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DIVIDENDS

CEO AT PLAY

Three Questions It’s summertime and the living is busy. For some Columbians, summer is the season for business.

We checked in with some CoMo business leaders to see how they manage the easy living part of summer.

LOOK WHO’S TALKING

What’s your idea of the perfect lazy, hazy summer day?

CURRY: Hanging by the

pool and cooking with my friends.

Summer fun: golf or tennis?

CURRY: I like golf, although

I’m not good at it. I also enjoy fishing.

What’s on your summer reading list?

CURRY: Cookbooks are

my favorite reading material.

GAUS: Anyone who knows

me a little knows this one — creating landscape oil paintings, outdoors, rain or shine.

JAY CURRY Owner/Partner Spicewine Ironworks and Columbia Welding & Machine

PRICE: If you are part of my family, you play tennis. No question.

GLORIA GAUS President Creative Surroundings Inc.

JERRY PRICE Office Manager Suzi Davis (now Direct) Travel

GAUS: Leisure time without

phones, obligations and deadlines.

PRICE: Sleep until 10 am.

Get up. Make breakfast.

Go back to bed until noon.

Then, work in the garden for an hour. Take a nap.

Spend an hour practicing salsa dancing, and get ready to go out for a nice dinner. Come home, admire the garden. Go to bed with a nice cocktail on my nightstand.

GAUS: Anything and

everything about Santa Fe, N.M., and the artists there, in preparation for traveling there later this year.

PRICE: Recipe books, People magazine, US magazine, and directions on how to make and can salsa.

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Who Says There’s No Such Thing As A Free Lunch?

Great Deals Coming Your Way!

T

he all-new Prime Card gives you access to amazing deals from your favorite local merchants who want to introduce you to their business. With the Prime Card, you’ll be treated to wonderful deals on everything from ice cream to dry cleaning. Who knows? We might even treat you to a free lunch!

Get Yours Today At www.PrimeMagazineOnline.com

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DIVIDENDS 1

NETWORKING

2

3

CRC JIM KIDWELL MEMORIAL GALA

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The Cancer Research Center hosted the 2015 Jim Kidwell Memorial Gala on April 11 at Parkade Plaza Event Center. The gala honored the late Bill Powell, a highly regarded Columbia attorney and legendary football player for the Missouri Tigers.

More than 360 attendees raised more than $51,000 to fund CRC’s Raymond Freese Doctoral Fellowship and support research in central Missouri.

1. Suzy and Steve Lee 2. Marnie Clark, Jack Bozarth, Alycia McGee and Alison Fea 3. Tammy and Joe Miller with Ed Scott 4. Dulcenia Kidwell, Rhonda Durham and Stacy Tatiersky 5. Milt Harper and Emily Brady 6. Kerri Powell Linder, Scott Powell, Cathe Powell, Doug Powell and Amy Powell 7. Kathy and Lloyd Farris 8. Kathy and Charlie Digges with Jolene and Bill Schulz

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PHOTOS BY PENNY LATTIN AND ALYCIA MCGEE

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ADVERTISING INDEX A Catered Affair................................................. 37 Accounting Plus................................................. 27 Babbo’s Spaghetteria........................................ 57 Caledon Virtual.................................................. 67 Central Bank of Boone County..........................7 Central Trust.......................................................62 Cevet Tree Care..................................................64 City of Columbia Water and Light.................. 9 Coley’s.................................................................. 57 Columbia LandCare.............................................5 Columbia Regional Airport................................. 9 Commerce Bank...................................................2 Creative Surroundings...................................... 25 Data Comm..........................................................17 Dents Unlimited................................................. 55 Designer Kitchen and Bath...............................11 Downtown Appliance..........................................3 El Tigre ................................................................56 Flooring America...............................................50 Hawthorn Bank..................................................68 Image Technologies............................................11 ICM Custom Publishing Solutions ................15 Inside Columbia Culinary Adventures ........ 35 Inside Columbia’s E-Newsletters .................... 25 Inside Columbia’s Instagram ...........................64 Inside Columbia Subscriptions ........................19 Inside Columbia Event Space ..........................58 Inside Columbia‘s Prime Card...........................62 Insurance Adjusters Group LLC.....................29 Kliethermes Homes........................................... 51 La Siesta...............................................................56 Las Margaritas................................................... 57 Linkside at Old Hawthorne.............................. 31 Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance........ 52 Moresource........................................................... 4 Mutrux Automotive..........................................54 Piano Distributors.............................................. 13 Postal Sign Express...........................................29 Randy Adams Construction........................... 27 Smokin’ Chick’s.................................................. 57 Starr Properties...................................................17 Stifel Nicolaus & Company............................. 37 Sycamore.............................................................56 Tech Electronics................................................. 37 The Broadway...................................................... 13 The Callaway Bank.............................................21 UMB Bank...........................................................60 Visionworks Marketing Group....................... 53 Watkins Roofing................................................62 Williams-Keepers .............................................58

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

The Keys To Avoiding Civil Unrest

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recently sat in on the interviews of the four finalists vying for executive director of Heart of Missouri United Way. The 20-member panel included community leaders, HMUW board members and the organization’s full-time staff. Andrew Grabau eventually won the job, but all four finalists were exemplary, each possessing vital skill sets and a good understanding of issues affecting those who live in poverty in our community.

After the four-hour marathon of presentations and questions, I walked away with a heightened understanding of the actual causes of poverty and how seemingly “normal’ conditions can contribute to pushing a community into the throes of civil unrest, such as we saw in Ferguson last summer.

The intense level of media coverage of Ferguson and Baltimore in recent months has reignited a decadesold conversation about race relations and the plight of impoverished people in our communities. For many, there is a false sense of security that the level of rioting, looting and violence in those two cities could never happen in a peaceful community like Columbia. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Whether we care to admit it or not, we have been tiptoeing around a virtual tinderbox of built-up tension, anxiety and frustration. Like most communities, Columbia has a tendency to side-step the uncomfortable societal ills of drug abuse, prostitution, human trafficking and desperate poverty. The familiar mantra is that these problems only exist in larger, metropolitan communities and these things can’t happen here, primarily because we are a caring, compassionate and progressive community. This myth is often perpetuated by a well-orchestrated public relations code of silence along with Columbia’s continual presence on the

“Best Of...” lists in a variety of national magazines. It’s hard to condemn the narcissistic love affair we have with our city, but we might avoid the kind of civil unrest that would put us in the wrong kind of national spotlight if we would only stop and face reality.

The unrest in Ferguson and Baltimore was sparked by singular police actions that became tipping points, but both followed years of strained relationships and perceived, if not real, transgressions against the poor and underrepresented populations in those communities. Do those types of conditions exist in Columbia? Absolutely.

I learned a great deal about this issue from the United Way candidates. Each has spent a significant portion of their professional careers studying the conditions that ultimately lead to civil unrest. Each offered pearls of wisdom and advice for avoiding the type of incident that might cast Columbia into the spotlight of shame.

The gist of my enlightenment boils down to this: Community leaders in Columbia must find a way to establish trust between themselves and those living in poverty. The old adage of pulling oneself up by his or her bootstraps is no longer a valid solution. Even my conservative ideals can’t cloud the reality that poverty in America is a brutal, centrifugal force that few can escape from on their own. Trust is lacking here because the community has made a lot of promises and simply not delivered on them. Actions have not matched words. We’ve heard promises of job creation, affordable housing, child care and reliable public transportation.

Columbia has not delivered on those promises in any meaningful way. Despite the best intentions of welfare reform and job-training programs, Columbia has failed miserably because we did not put participants in sustainable job situations.

Aid programs that originally were designed to be transitional have now become permanent because we, as a society, have failed to deliver viable alternatives. We can’t achieve trust in any relationship if we continue to break promises. Trust is the most important currency when dealing with those in poverty.

Here is the most troubling news: If we don’t make significant changes in the way we handle education, job creation and the delivery of social services, the future is bleak for Columbia and Boone County. A recent study called The Impacts of Neighborhoods on Intergenerational Mobility shows that Boone County is one of the worst counties to live in for children in poverty. The study, published in early May, was a collaborative effort between Harvard researchers and The New York Times. Researchers report that Boone County is among the worst places in the United States for helping poor children up the income ladder; it ranks as the 426th worst out of 2,478 counties, in the bottom 17 percent of all counties in the United States. The study also shows that the sooner young children move away from Boone County, the more likely they are to avoid becoming single parents and to reap the benefits of going to college and earning more income as adults.

My hope is that we heed these early warning signs and take a proactive stance to confront poverty in our community. We are living in what truly is a tale of two cities. We like to focus our attention on the many quality-oflife amenities we publicly fund and our reputation as Missouri’s leading producer of Presidential Scholars. In truth, we’re still one of the state’s most racially segregated cities. We seem to be content in our ignorance about those living with mental illness, hunger and a variety of social ills we’d rather not discuss. These problems won’t get magically fixed because we have a new and enlightened United Way director. It’s going to take the entire community to reverse this tide.

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CLOSING QUOTES

What Columbia’s Business People And Community Leaders Are Saying “The District is a place to hang out and enjoy people, which you won’t find with an online website.”

— Katie Essing, executive director of The District

“Coordinated and collaborative care efforts will be the secret for success for health care providers going forward, not a continuation of a fragmented, episodic approach to health care.”

“You have to pay attention to the details of your business.

Sometimes, you have to swallow your pride, and do what makes the most sense for the common good.”

— Mark Dempsey, co-owner of Peak Sport and Spine Rehab

— Boone Hospital Center President Jim Sinek

“We all need each other, so it’s important to have that connection with others in the business community and be able to reach out for any services you might need. That’s the important part of that network.”

— Matt McCormick, Columbia Chamber of Commerce president

“Always underpromise and always overdeliver.”

— Electenergy Technologies Inc. President Mike Mehrdad

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INSIDE COLUMBIA’S CEO OutFront Communications, LLC 47 E. Broadway Columbia, MO 65203

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