Inside Columbia's CEO Summer 2010

CONTENTS

Inside Columbia’s CEO • www.ColumbiaCEO.com • Volume 1, Issue 4

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58

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74

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Opening Bell: The Buzz On CoMo Biz

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The Columbia/Boone County Economic Index

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Picture From The Past

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Inside The Office Of Jay And Suzanne Gebhardt

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The Conference Room: Chamber Chairman Paul Land Gets Down To Business

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Coach Rick McGuire On Playing To Win In Business

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The Laws Of Business: A Look At The 2010 Legislative Session

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MU’s Dongsheng Duan Is Unlocking The Secrets Of Muscular Dystrophy

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How Wireless Technology Can Set Your Business Free

44 Regional News Round-Up

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46 The Comeback: Robinson’s Cleaners Recovers From A

Devastating Fire With

Help From Unexpected

Places

52 Game Changer:

What The IBM Center Means To Local Business 58 Key To The City: Mayor Bob McDavid Takes

The Reins At City Hall 66 All Work And All Play:

Great Destinations

For Working Vacations 70 Jet-Set Cool: High-Tech

Gadgets Put The Fun Back

In Traveling 74 How To Start Your Own

Art Collection 77

Networking

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Publisher’s Note

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Closing Quotes Summer 2010

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INSIdE COLUmBIA’S CEO

STAff Publisher Fred Parry fred@insidecolumbia.net

meeT Our eDITOrIAL ADVISOrY BOArD

Associate Publisher Melody Parry melody@insidecolumbia.net editor-in-Chief Sandy Selby sandy@insidecolumbia.net

ToM ATKiNs Chairman and CEO, Atkins Companies

Copy editor Kathy Casteel kathy@insidecolumbia.net editorial Assistant Jessica Perkins jessica@insidecolumbia.net Photo editor L.G. Patterson design Consultant Katie S. Brooks

GAry dreWiNG President, Joe Machens Dealerships

rANdy CoiL President, Coil Construction

GAry Forsee President, University of Missouri System

BoB GerdiNG Partner, Gerding, Korte & Chitwood CPAs

Creative director Carolyn Preul design@insidecolumbia.net Graphic designer Katharine Ley katharine@insidecolumbia.net digital and New Media Projects designer Jill Hamilton jill@insidecolumbia.net

PAUL LANd Vice President, Plaza Real Estate Services

ByroN HiLL President & CEO, ABC Laboratories

diANNe LyNCH President, Stephens College

GeorGe PFeNeNGer President & CEO, Socket

director of Marketing & Business development Bill Bales bill@insidecolumbia.net director of sponsorship development & retention Anne Churchill anne@insidecolumbia.net director of sales Linda Cleveland linda@insidecolumbia.net

BoB PUGH CEO, MBS Textbook Exchange

MiKe sTALoCH Vice President of Operations, State Farm Insurance

GreG sTeiNHoFF Executive Vice President of Business Development, Boone County National Bank

Jerry TAyLor President, MFA Oil Co.

Marketing representatives Gerri Shelton gerri@insidecolumbia.net Ken Brodersen ken@insidecolumbia.net Kyle Gross kyle@insidecolumbia.net Business development specialist Quinn Leon quinn@insidecolumbia.net

Please Recycle This Magazine.

Inside Columbia’s CEO magazine 301 W. Broadway • Columbia, MO 65203 • Office: 573-442-1430 • Web: www.ColumbiaCEO.com Inside Columbia’s CEO is published quarterly by OutFront Communications LLC, 301 W. Broadway, Columbia, Mo. 65203, 573-442-1430. Copyright OutFront Communications, 2010. 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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office Manager Brenda Brooks brenda@insidecolumbia.net distribution Manager John Lapsley Contributing Writers Krystin Arneson, Anita Neal Harrison, Christina Ingoglia, John Littell, Ed Robb

OPENING BELL

the buzz on como biz

Missouri Orthopaedic Institute Opens Its Doors

T

he Missouri Orthopaedic Institute on the University of Missouri campus opened its doors May 26 after two years of construction. The staff at the comprehensive orthopaedic surgery center not only will treat textbook bone and joint problems but also specialize in sports medicine, joint replacement and pediatric orthopaedics.

Patient care is delivered from the beginning to the end of treatment at the institute. The first two floors house 45 exam, five operating and two outpatient procedure rooms; the third floor is devoted solely to 16 private inpatient rooms. The new building also has facilities for MRI and X-ray machines, prosthetics and orthotics, and physical and occupational therapy. Additionally, a fourth level that houses research facilities and administrative offices will open this fall.

The institute has some unique features meant to make patients and their families a little more comfortable. An in-house restaurant called the Atrium Café provides a much-welcome break from hospital cafeteria food, and visitors are also treated to complimentary valet parking and wireless Internet access.

Grant Puts Electronic Health Records On Fast Track Health records in Missouri are on their way to going paperless, thanks to a $6.8 million kick-start grant from the U.S. 10

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Department of Health and Human Services. The University of Missouri and a team of partners from across the state will use the money to create the Missouri Health Information Technology Assistance Center, which will transfer records from paper to an online system. The funding covers expenses When for the first two years of the project in order records are to get it up and running, after which time MU online, a will be expected to cover 90 percent of the patient’s cost of running HIT. For now, the initiative information will focus mainly on rural, underinsured is only a communities in Missouri, but the center will click away. also devote $1 million over the next two years to outreach programs aimed at helping primary care providers better understand electronic health records.

Doctors say electronic health records, which are already being used in hospital systems such as the Veteran’s Administration, increase the quality of patient care. Besides saving money by reducing what needs to be printed, eliminating the paper shuffle increases efficiency and reduces mistakes in diagnosis and treatment. When records are online, a patient’s information is only a click away and accessible to the entire team of doctors treating that patient. So even when there are no pages to be had, everyone can be on the same one.

OPENING BELL

the buzz on como biz

CITIZEN KAREN

K

aren Taylor has received the 2010 Outstanding Citizen of the Year Award from the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.

The Outstanding Citizen Award winners are nominated by their peers and selected by a special committee of the Chamber of Commerce. This distinguished award has been presented for the past 30 years and is designed to recognize a resident of Columbia who has made a significant contribution to the community.

In the nomination letter she wrote, Lynda Baumgartner of Stephens College had this to say about Taylor: “Karen is all about change for the better. She is a visionary whose leadership skills in the end create a better community for all who live, work and play in Columbia.”

Taylor’s involvement and leadership with local organizations, in particular the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and Women’s Network, is extensive. She served on the chamber board of directors from 1995 to 1999, where she served as board treasurer “She is a visionary from 1997 to 1998, and again from 2002 to 2005, serving as chair whose leadership from 2003 to 2004. While on the board, Taylor was instrumental skills in the end in helping to implement the Total Resource Campaign, the annual create a better fundraising campaign for the chamber. She also took on the roles community for all who live, work and of Junior Leadership and Education Committee chairs and has been a Chamber of Commerce Ambassador since 1995. Taylor play in Columbia.” was Women’s Network president from 1995 to 1996 and served on the Steering Committee as well as in two Women’s Network Committee chair positions. She earned the prestigious Women’s Network ATHENA Award in 2004.

Outside of the chamber, Taylor has organized three impressive local initiatives: MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), the Dolly Parton Imagination Library, and Keep Columbia Safe. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library was founded by Taylor in partnership with the Heart of Missouri United Way in 2008. The program provides newborn babies in Columbia with a free book every month until age 5. The program currently reaches 80 percent of all newborns in Columbia, far surpassing the national average.

Taylor also is involved with the Regional Hospital Advisory Board and Columbia Metro Rotary. In the past, she has been active with the Central Missouri Food Bank, Columbia College Community Campaign, fundraising for the city’s Activity and Recreation Center, Advent Enterprises, Adult Business Advisory Council, Governor’s Missouri Training & Employment Council board, Governor’s Partnership on the Transition from School-To-Work, Missouri Foundation for Women’s Resources Board and Columbia Youth Basketball Association.

Taylor, the executive vice president of consumer banking at Boone County National Bank, was nominated jointly by Baumgartner and Greg Steinhoff, executive vice president and director of sales at Boone County National Bank. Additional recommendations for her came from Linda Arnold, Landmark Bank; Gerald Brouder, Columbia College; Steve Erdel, Boone County National Bank; Bo Fraser, Boone County National Bank; Robert Gerding, Gerding, Korte & Chitwood, CPAs; Sabrina McDonnell, Landmark Bank; Timothy Rich, United Way; and Michael Vangel, VANGEL. Steinhoff explains how Karen takes initiative when so many people do not. “When she recognizes an opportunity to make something right, to help somebody reach their potential or to make something better, she doesn’t turn her head and walk away; she seizes the moment.

She is inspired, then she inspires. Time after time, the results are extraordinary.”

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When Does A Day Last A Week?

Make A Difference Day is actually a weeklong celebration of volunteerism led by The Foundation for the Higher Good. This year’s Make A Difference Day is Oct. 23, but the foundation encourages organizations and individuals to plan a volunteer activity any day during that week.

How can your company make a difference? The foundation makes these suggestions: Organize a fundraiser for the Dream Factory. n

n Set-up a mentoring project to encourage older students to support their peers. n Collect books, clothes and toys to donate to a local charity.

Organize collection boxes for old cell phones, ink cartridges or Box Tops for Education labels. n

n Commit to a specific afternoon to play with and mentor the children at Granny’s House. n Serve evening meals to the homeless and hungry individuals at Loaves and Fishes Soup Kitchen. n Volunteer at the Central Missouri Food Bank. n Sort care package donations for MarineParents.com.

And those are just a few of the possibilities. Learn more and register your company’s activity at www.makeadifference.me.

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OPENING BELL

economic index

The Inside Columbia CEO’s

Economic Index Boone County/Columbia Business Conditions First Quarter 2010 -

108.1

108 —

102.5 95.7

-

97.5

96.8

98.6

100.0 97.8

96 —

97.7

2 0 0 7 Q 3

101.1

2 0 0 7 Q 2

99.2

98 —

100.9

-

100.6

105.0 101.6

104.1

102.9

106.1 104.3

104.6 101.7

-

102.7

102 — 100 —

105.0

104 —

106.8

106 —

109.4

110 —

94 — 92 — 90 — 2 0 0 4 Q 1

2 0 0 4 Q 2

2 0 0 4 Q 4

2 0 0 4 Q 3

2 0 0 5 Q 1

2 0 0 5 Q 2

2 0 0 5 Q 3

2 0 0 5 Q 4

2 0 0 6 Q 1

2 0 0 6 Q 2

2 0 0 6 Q 3

2 0 0 6 Q 4

2 0 0 7 Q 1

2 0 0 7 Q 4

2 0 0 8 Q 1

2 0 0 8 Q 2

2 0 0 8 Q 3

2 0 0 8 Q 4

2 0 0 9 Q 1

2 0 0 9 Q 2

2 0 0 9 Q 3

2 0 0 9 Q 4

DATE DATE

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nside Columbia’s CEO Economic Index is a quarterly snapshot of how Columbia’s economy is doing compared to where it was five years ago.

Edward H. Robb and Associates, an economic and governmental consulting firm, prepared this index for Columbia and Boone County by collecting data from the past 18 years for 10 key economic indicators: hotel taxes; deplanements at the Columbia Regional Airport; Boone County total sales tax receipts; Columbia total sales tax receipts; Boone County sales tax receipts

excluding Columbia; total Boone County building permits; total Boone County single-unit building permits; total Boone County employment; total Columbia employment; and Boone County employment excluding Columbia. After analyzing the data, Robb went a step further and seasonally adjusted the figures to create the most accurate index possible.

The result is a single number that indicates how robust our Columbia/Boone County economy was for a given quarter.

Prepared By E.H. Robb & Associates *The base year for all of the indices is 2000. All indices will average 100 for the 12 months of 2000. **Based on one month of analysis

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2 0 1 0 Q 1 **

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Retro Chic Long before the word “blackberry” became synonymous with telephones, operators and technicians at the Columbia Telephone Co. were keeping the comparatively lowtech phone systems humming from their base of operations on South Ninth Street. Today, you won’t find switchboards there, but you will find switched-on, retro fashion at the Blackberry Exchange, which occupies the ground floor of the building along with a yet-to-open business that’s making A New Beginning.

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picture from the past

PHOTO BY L.G. PATTerSON

OPENING BELL

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OPENING BELL

office spaces

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Jay & Suzanne’s Picks Inside The Office Of

Jay & Suzanne Gebhardt

by JESSICA PERKINS photos by L.G. PATTERSON

E

ngineers at A Civil Group peer down at the work in front of them, lost in concentration. The atmosphere is quiet in a comfortable way, much like the silence between old friends on a road trip together. Something seems to set this space apart from other corporate environs — the curious black-and-white dog trying to get a glimpse of visitors, perhaps, or the disco ball and speakers hanging in the lobby.

“We used to have a smoke machine,” Suzanne Gebhardt says with a laugh. On occasion, the staff and guests gather around her husband Jay’s colossal computer monitor for karaoke.

When Jay Gebhardt began the civil engineering and surveying company in the fall of 2000, his primary goal was to provide top-notch service to his clients. Jay, the principle engineer, and Suzanne, the firm’s accountant, recognized that one of the best ways to guarantee exceptional service was to create a relaxed and upbeat work 18

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environment. Although each employee takes his or her work very seriously, “We don’t have the traditional business atmosphere,” Jay says. “We wanted to keep the office fun. You spend more time at work than you do with your loved ones, really.”

To infuse the office décor with that same friendly attitude, the Gebhardts made the most of the building’s ample natural light and open layout. “The Atkins family, who owns the building, was very accommodating for our vision,” Suzanne says. A mix of textured and smooth glass provides privacy while maintaining a welcoming feel, and each desk is partially enclosed in patterned glass set in the building’s old, repurposed window panes. Jay credits Suzanne for her appealing design choices, describing the office at 1123 Wilkes Blvd. as “light and cheerful.”

For the Gebhardts, cheerfulness and a sense of humor are key factors in giving their best to each employee and to each client.

1

To strike that balance between openness and privacy, Jay had this transparent garage door installed in his office. He closes it during meetings with clients.

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This cardboard cutout of Dr. Evil floats around the office, sometimes showing up in a bathroom or cubicle. “I just thought he’d be fun and lighten the mood at the office,” Jay says.

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The Gebhardts’ dog, Scout, is free to roam around the office. Jay allows employees to bring their own dogs, as well.

“They keep you relaxed,” Suzanne says. “And they make great doorbells,” Jay adds.

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For his own office space, Jay chose a tall desk “because he’s kind of old-fashioned and likes the high drafting level,” Suzanne says.

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Jay’s Pink Floyd posters hint at the staff’s love for music. “We have a whole server dedicated to music,” Suzanne says, noting that employees use it to swap tunes and host parties in the lobby.

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THE CONFERENCE ROOM

GETTING DOWN TO BUSINESS Paul Land Talks About His New Role As Chairman Of Columbia’s Chamber a conversation with SANDY SELBY photo by L.G. PATTERSON

On the eve of his installation as chairman of the Columbia Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Paul Land sat down with Inside Columbia’s CEO Editor Sandy Selby to talk about the chamber’s importance to the community and the things he hopes to accomplish during his one-year term.

What is the CliffsNotes version of the story of Paul Land, commercial Realtor and longtime chamber member?

I grew up in St. Louis. I graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis in ’78 and moved to Mexico, Mo., that same year, then moved to Columbia in ’83 and have been here since that time.

I left my employer in 1987 to become a self-unemployed Realtor. I’ve been here at Plaza Real Estate Services since then and have been a chamber member since that time. Right after I got my real estate license and right after I planted my real estate license with Plaza, the next application went to the Chamber of Commerce.

I did real estate work with IGA stores all over the state of Missouri and the Midwest. I knew from my days of doing work in other communities that the chamber was an integral part of any site or business evaluation I was doing in that area. I felt like that was the network I needed to tap into.

My decision when I left the safety of drawing a paycheck to become selfemployed was to define an area. I traveled a lot in those days and now I spend Summer 2010

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THE CONFERENCE ROOM virtually every day within 12 miles of Columbia. We just do office, industrial and retail properties so I stay within a pretty tight area.

How do you persuade a local business that membership in the Chamber of Commerce is a worthwhile investment?

It’s not hard to persuade local businesses to join the chamber. What other organization is going to provide business the notoriety, the cohesiveness, the staff, the ability to impact, to enhance the business experience in Columbia? And the width and breadth of interests … from retailers to wholesalers to home-based businesses to major employers … they’re all invited in. It’s a unique opportunity to network with the broadest and brightest minds in business. I don’t know what other organization can do that.

What is the most important part of your job as chamber chair?

That would be to keep us on task. The chamber has clearly defined objectives to promote business, a strong, supportive staff and a good reputation in the community. It’s imperative that we maintain that type of profile.

I’ll lend another voice besides the staff. If there’s something that someone feels they need to say to someone in a lay position rather than a staff position, then I should be that ombudsman. But frankly there’s an awful lot we’re doing right.

It occurs to me there are about 2,000 people coming into the community every year and about 5,000 MU graduates exiting so that’s a lot of turnover … that’s half our community in a 10-year period, so we’ve got to communicate and keep the message out there that the chamber’s

Words To Live By

Paul Land loves the wit and wisdom he finds in books of quotations.

Here are a couple of his favorite quotes.

“Never be afraid to try something new. Remember that a lone amateur built the Ark. A large group of professionals built the Titanic.” — Dave Barry “Success comes from doing what must be done, when it must be done, the way it ought to be done, whether you want to do it or not.”

— Source Unknown The chamber, to me, has done an incredible job of reinventing itself. This is my 24th year and as I told the [chamber] staff the other day, this organization is 24 times better than when I entered it because it reinvents itself every year. It allows new people to go into the committees of their choice, to take leadership roles.

No doors are closed to them. I’ve been impressed because it happened to me, the way experienced people reach down to inexperienced people to bring them along, and I don’t see how anybody can ignore that. We don’t have every business in Columbia as a member, but we are gaining. Businesses that join gain from the collective experience of other members.

That sells itself.

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about business, and business is good for the community.

What role did the Chamber of Commerce play in bringing IBM to Columbia?

The chamber’s role, frankly, happened four years ago. While REDI (Regional Economic Development Inc.) was the dominant leader in IBM’s recruitment and business proposal that came together here, the chamber’s role was recognizing four years ago that economic incentives were part of the game plan. The chamber, through its board of directors, authorized speakers to go before the Boone County Commission and seek Chapter 100 bonds before we had a customer in place. If the

state makes tools available to you and your local community elects not to use those tools, then that’s just not clear thinking.

That’s when I believe the chamber had one of its finest hours — four years before IBM showed up in this realm of the planet, when the fight was fought to make certain things available to them.

Then again, 20 months after gaining the Chapter 100 policy and well before IBM’s arrival, the chamber stepped up again and lobbied for the LeMone Industrial/Maguire Boulevard extension through presentations and public testimony to the Columbia City Council. Finally, when IBM did appear, the chamber members participated in community visit teams. It took a community approach and chamber initiative.

It’s got to be that way with other things.

We’ve got to be in advance. If IBM had showed up and then we’d started the process, it becomes too personal. It’s got to be good for everybody and serve a higher cause than just those that are here today, whether for big businesses like IBM, or small businesses.

How do you see the chamber’s role in local and regional economic development evolving over the next few years? How does the chamber’s mission relate to the mission of REDI? I believe the easiest way to discern that is that REDI really doesn’t deal much on the retail side. It deals with office employment and industrial employment centers so that’s a segment of the business population that, for whatever reason, REDI has elected to stay away from. And REDI’s efforts are largely the recruitment of new industries. The chamber, on the other hand, is about maintaining existing business and keeping relationships solid with them.

Is there crossover? You bet. But it’s a hand-in-glove relationship. In the early years, REDI was founded in good part by contributions by the chamber.

Since that time, REDI has found its own membership base. I see them as interrelated more than separate organizations.

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THE CONFERENCE ROOM

Paul Land has felt at home in the Columbia Area Chamber of Commerce office since he joined the organization in 1987. As the organization’s 2010-11 chairman, he hopes to make new members feel just as welcome.

REDI ought to be an ombudsman for the recruitment of new or entering businesses and the chamber ought to be that same for existing businesses, or at least be available to help if those businesses are facing challenges.

The Chamber of Commerce and REDI each make appointments to the board of the Columbia Area Jobs Foundation, which also has representation from county and city leadership.

chamber, its board of directors and its committees is how we build that relationship and keep it strong. It’s much easier to do business with people you know than people you don’t know and it’s much easier to do business with people you already have a relationship with than to create a new one. Anytime we have an opportunity to interact prior to a project, it helps that project.

Do you believe cooperation between the local business community and the University of Missouri has reached an optimal level or is there still room for improvement?

It was big news in Columbia when the Chamber of Commerce endorsed particular candidates on the local ballot in April. Why do you feel it was important for the chamber to take a public position?

The University of Missouri is a city within a city — or Columbia is a city that surrounds the University of Missouri. We can’t separate the core from the outer ring, nor the ring from the inner core. We are forever linked. To benefit one is to benefit the other. The university’s decision a few years ago to add economic development to its mission fits right into the swing of the chamber.

I think having people from the university serve as members of the

It’s not unusual for any trade organization to make endorsements. I think many, if not most, trade organizations do that.

If you think of the chamber as business people promoting business ideas, then it’s totally appropriate for the chamber to take that approach. The surveys revealed the membership wanted it. The specific endorsements occurred after candidates filed and the process was pretty involved.

The process was endorsed by the chamber board. The comments that were in the

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negative were very minor — 12 out of 1,200 members. That’s incredible! That is a nonissue.

One thing that got lost by the other media is that business people don’t get an extra vote in an election. They only get one vote as an individual. The community supported our thinking or we supported the community thinking — I don’t know which one came first. We were just in the mainstream and we were listening to our customers. The chamber’s customers are its members but the members’ customers are John Q. Public. We endorsed who the citizens endorsed.

What is our local Chamber of Commerce doing right and where do you see room for improvement?

I’m a firm believer in the 80/20 rule where 20 percent of your customers provide 80 percent of your income, or 20 percent of your customers provide 80 percent of your complaints. If we can move those totals a little bit … if we can get 25 percent of the people contributing instead of 20 percent of the people contributing, that moves the organization exponentially. I don’t know that I’m egocentric enough that I can say

I have a plan for the chamber that differs from its already defined strategic plan that was updated this year. I hope under my term there that when things come up, I can help provide the leadership that will build consensus.

There are several things that came up during the course of this year that I don’t think we could have predicted would happen and all that you can hope is that you have people in leadership roles who are going to be reasonable in debating those items.

Who are your leadership role models?

I’d be hesitant to name names because of people I’d leave out, but the types of leaders I like are the people who quietly get things done and move on. They don’t go around pounding their chests or waving their arms and screaming about what a good job they did. Those are the types of leaders I admire: the people who are humble, grateful and want to keep performing.

What do you most hope to accomplish during your term as chairman of the chamber’s board of directors?

When I became president of the Board of Realtors, Elinor Arendt — who was also the chamber’s first female chair — said, “Paul takes business very seriously but never himself.” And when Ray Beck suggested I be on the REDI board, he said, “It’s time we have somebody at the grassroots, somebody who has to meet the customer face-to-face and explain the policies at the ground level.”

I don’t know how to translate that into a mission for the Chamber of Commerce, but I don’t ever want people to be intimidated by the leadership of the chamber. When I go to new membership welcomes, that’s the most emotional point for me. When I see somebody stand up there and put their neck on the line that they stepped away from their comfort zone and are taking a risk to go into business and they’re either going to make it or they’re not, but they put everything they got behind it, that’s an emotional experience for me.

If somebody hadn’t reached down to me when I came on the scene, I wouldn’t be here today to reach down to the next person. That chain can’t be broken.

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EXPLORATION

Bigger, stronger, faster Coach Rick McGuire On Playing To Win In Business

by JOHN LITTELL photos by L.G. PATTERSON

A

merica is obsessed with sports. Whole towns and cities define their very existence by the winning record of their high school, college and professional teams. Where would Green Bay be without the Packers? Or Columbia without the Tigers? The answer is disappointing for diehard fans: almost exactly the same.

Many people take a leap of faith thinking that if they run their companies like the Yankees, then they, too, will win the World Series.

Iconoclast?

But when it comes to applying the principles of sports to business, beware of exact comparisons. That’s the view of Rick McGuire, head coach of men’s and women’s track and field at the University of Missouri.

“Sports alone doesn’t do anything great,” says the mentor of NCAA champions and Olympic medalists. “It doesn’t teach anything great. In truth, most of the things being taught that could be applicable to business come from business itself,” he says.

This iconoclastic opinion is backed by McGuire’s experience as a coach — 27 years at MU alone — and by virtue of his

lifetime study of sports. In fact, McGuire holds a Ph.D. in sports psychology and is an assistant professor of education and counseling psychology in the MU College of Education.

Visualization There’s a cliché that says 90 percent of sports is mental: if you can visualize throwing a TD pass, you can do it.

Nonsense, McGuire says.

“People who don’t know much about sports know that phrase. There are moments when that’s a big piece, but the reality is that sports, if anything, is 90 percent physical. If that weren’t the case, why do we sweat so much during Summer 2010

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EXPLORATION

Sports Doctor

Coach Rick McGuire with former Mizzou track star Christian Cantwell, the reigning world champion in the shot put practice?” he says with a laugh.

Conditioning the body, developing skills and defining strategies are more important to success, he says. “When it’s time to perform, negative, distracted, and wrong thoughts hurt. Thinking right makes all the difference. But without physical preparation, the performance is not there to be delivered.”

In business, too, good ideas alone aren’t enough, McGuire says. “The infrastructure must be in place to turn ideas into dollar signs,” he adds. “If you don’t do your homework, if you don’t develop the resources necessary to deliver the product or service, then it’s predictable that there is not going to be real performance.”

Peak Performance Thinking right at the right time can prevent that dreaded sports disease: the choke. But it’s only part of the equation for success.

“All sports psychology is just performance psychology — there’s absolutely no difference,” McGuire says.

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“I recently gave a seminar for surgeons at the university. The topic: delivering your best performance. They told me afterward, ‘This is us; this is what we do. We have to deliver our best performance every time, on demand.’ It’s way more important when a life is at stake than just winning a game or winning a race.”

Delivering your best performance from your developed capabilities “applies not only to surgeons, but to musicians, insurance salesmen, teachers and parents,” he says.

Leadership And The Team In a business setting, performance psychology has at least two main applications.

“One has to do with the leader — the CEO, the president, the boss, or the leadership team,” he says. “The leader has critical moments when his performance is totally driven by how clear his thinking is and the decisions he is making.”

The second application “has to do with the worker bees and leading

Originally from Salem, N.Y., Rick McGuire was an avid basketball player in high school and college.

During his career, he has coached 124 All-American athletes and four Olympians, including two silver medalists. He plans to retire this summer after almost three decades coaching track and field at the University of Missouri. He will continue teaching sports psychology to graduate students on a part-time basis at MU, where he has won nine awards for teaching excellence.

But that alone wouldn’t be enough to satisfy the energetic and peripatetic McGuire. He will spend a good amount of his time developing the Comprehensive Integrated Sports Psychology Service Delivery Program for the Athletics Department at the university. them, empowering them to do their jobs and play their roles superbly, day after day,” he says. “Whether it’s meeting the public, building the product or providing a service, how they do their jobs has everything to do with profitability.”

How do you get peak performance from your staff?

When dealing with employees, it’s important to remember that you manage a budget, you lead people, he says. “If I want people to do a great job for me,” McGuire says, “I try to create an environment, both physical and personal, that’s going to be supportive of people feeling motivated to identify with the mission, to be proud of their part, and to engage each day in their performance.

“The more skilled I am as a leader, the better I can motivate them to have great pride, knowing what gives them satisfaction and fulfillment will ultimately produce the quality that’s expected, repeated regularly. That’s what the boss wants from every employee.”

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EXPLORATION Once a leader understands the individual needs of his workforce, the next step is to build a team, he says.

“Business is a group experience like sports, and building the most effective team is important,” McGuire says. If everyone works to the best of his ability, and they all work together, that increases their effectiveness exponentially.

The Abusive Boss Unfortunately, bad bosses litter the landscape of both sports and business.

“When I was a kid,” McGuire says, “I loved to play basketball. At the time, I didn’t have any idea that playing ball had a hateful side to it.”

You know the guy. He demeans, belittles, humiliates, and fills his players with anxiety, fear and shame. That’s the kind of coach McGuire had in high school.

“I learned that playing sports can be ugly,” he says.

“I rejected that the only way for people to get better is to scream and yell at them. There’s got to be a better way, and I’ve got to find that way,” he says.

“I can’t do that stuff. I know the pain of that stuff. Now, it didn’t kill me, and I loved my coach for what he taught me, but I didn’t want my children to go through what I had.”

To be really effective in business, the leader has to focus not only on the widgets he’s producing, but also on the people who make those widgets, he says. Ignore one at the expense of the other. “People are not pieces on a chess board. They are individuals who must be understood individually. You want people to be really excited about making great widgets!” he says with a laugh.

Whatever team you are leading, it’s all about the people. “What makes a great leader isn’t really related to the qualities of that leader,” McGuire says. “Great leaders have a great understanding of their followers and act on that understanding. It’s all about positive coaching. You can be demanding without being demeaning.

There just isn’t any evidence that being mean and harsh is more effective than being positive,” he says.

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But what about the military? Drill sergeants are not universally known for their tender understanding and compassion. “That’s a life and death situation,” he says. “If you don’t follow orders without question, you’ll die. That’s not the way it is in sports or business.”

Breaking All The Rules The 62-year-old McGuire’s approach to sports can be summed up by his assertion that he wants to develop winning kids with sports, not winning sports with kids.

That’s the way he leads his teams. His kinder and gentler style has been backed up by various academic studies of effective leadership in business, most notably one by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman, called First Break All the Rules.

This is an in-depth, exhaustive study of great managers across the country. They preach almost the same message that McGuire incorporated in his coaching principles over the years.

A graduate student brought him the study and the comparisons were revealing.

“I think there’s been a paradigm shift,” he says. “We in sports learned it from business and isn’t that a great message to take back to business? Hey, we learned it from you,” he says.

Golden Rule McGuire has a busy schedule bringing his message to both individual businesses and industry groups. Some years ago, he held a seminar for manager Jeff Torborg and the Chicago White Sox. He explained that to be an effective leader, it is imperative to instill confidence and a sense of worth in their personnel. “Treat them as you would like to be treated yourself,” was the gist of his talk.

The next day, Torborg tracked McGuire down and said breathlessly, “Rick! Rick! What you said yesterday? I’ve heard it before.”

“You have?”

“That’s the Golden Rule. It’s the Bible!”

“Yeah, Jeff. You spent $2,000 to fly me here to teach you that,” McGuire says laughing. “But at the end of the day, it isn’t much more complicated than the Golden Rule.”

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CAPITAL WATCH

The Laws Of Business A Look At The 2010 Legislative Session

by KATHY CASTEEL

B

ack in the short, cold days of December, area lawmakers were casting a wary eye on the upcoming legislative session of the Missouri General Assembly.

The economy was the watchword as looming shortfalls and plummeting tax revenues took center stage when state representatives and senators convened in January. As the legislators adjusted their green eyeshades and sharpened their budget axes, a $23.3 billion state operating budget took shape with the hope that sunny assumptions and optimistic estimates would shore up its shaky claim to being balanced.

“My greatest accomplishment was getting the $14.7 million for higher education back in the budget.”

– State Sen. Kurt Schaefer In the fallout, priorities fell by the wayside. Boone County’s delegation came armed to do battle for University of Missouri funding, and was successful in holding the line on budget cuts previously worked out in exchange for a tuition freeze. Local lawmakers’ hopes that Gov. Jay Nixon would release the $31 million appropriated last year for construction of a new Ellis Fischel Cancer Center — the top priority of state Sen. Kurt Schaefer and state Rep. Steve Hobbs — did not fare so well. Rep. Chris Kelly’s attempt to carve out a new appropriation for the cancer hospital from federal stimulus highway funds also went down to defeat.

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CAPITAL WATCH One week after the Legislature adjourned, the university’s Board of Curators voted to issue $30 million in revenue bonds to help finance construction of the $52 million cancer center; work begins this summer.

Despite the state’s economic woes, the General Assembly failed to passed any economic development legislation, scuttling a plan by Schaefer, Kelly and Hobbs to qualify Columbia’s Ewing Industrial Park as an “enhanced enterprise zone” eligible for tax credits based on capital improvements and wages created, a move that would have opened opportunities for the site to house a data center. And as the snows of the long winter finally gave way to the blossoms of spring, other promising ideas to stimulate the mid-Missouri business climate — proposals for tax credits, construction projects, industrial innovations and startup partnerships — had lost their appeal in the statehouse too.

The Legislature did take action on a number of issues, passing bills that affect a wide range of industries in Missouri and the way business is conducted in the Show-Me State.

LICENSING Changes to the laws regulating and licensing of certain professions will affect the activities of automobile dealers, private investigators, real estate brokers, architects, engineers, land surveyors and landscape architects, mortgage brokers, nurses, dental assistants and hygienists, advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants, social workers, counselors, therapists, wholesale drug distributors, residential care facilities, nursing homes, home health care agencies and funeral homes.

One licensing bill also changed the way hospitals may define or revise the premises of a hospital campus to include tracts of property that are adjacent except for a common street or highway and its accompanying public right-of-way.

UNEMPLOYMENT The Legislature passed a bill extending the state’s eligibility to receive federal

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unemployment benefit money for unemployed individuals’ compensation until March 3, 2011.

STUDENT WORKERS New legislation expands the pool of those authorized to issue and sign a work certificate for a child younger than 16.

INSURANCE In response to the U.S. Congress’ passage of the national health care bill, the General Assembly passed a bill that declared the purchase or sale of health insurance in private health care systems cannot be prohibited by law or rule. The bill prohibits any person, employer or health care provider

“The biggest personal disappointment was that payday loan reform did not get a vote on the House floor despite the fact that 70 Democrats co-signed the legislation. This industry is siphoning millions from our local and state economy … the legislative process was derailed in a manner to protect the payday loan industry at the expense of the common good.”

– State Rep. Mary Still from compulsive participation in any health care system. Individuals and employers in Missouri may pay directly for lawful health care services, and health care providers can accept payment for health care services from individuals or employers without being subject to fines or penalties.

Other insurance measures include changes to the laws affecting health insurance claim payments, regulation of companies operating in hazardous financial conditions, and the voluntary dissolution of domestic insurance corporations.

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CAPITAL WATCH coverage for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders and establishes certain provisions for coverage.

BANKING A banking bill passed that requires the amount of the certified check that accompanies a bid from a banking corporation or association to be the depositary of county funds must be no less than 1.5 percent of the previous year’s county general revenue.

LENDING Lending institutions may offer, sell and finance automobile club memberships, certain service contracts, and vehicle protection devices, as well as other plans and services if the cost is disclosed separately from the loan contract and the plan is not a condition for loan approval. The measure requires a 30day cancellation and refund alternative and all optional products must be clearly identified.

CORPORATE BOARD MEETINGS Currently, any action that must be taken at a meeting of a board of directors or the executive committee of a corporation can be done without a meeting if all the members of the board consent in writing to the action. A bill passed this session also allows the consent to be by electronic transmission and specifies that the board secretary must file the consent with the meeting minutes.

HIGHER EDUCATION The Legislature expanded the eligibility of Missouri residents who qualify for Bright Flight scholarships, and equalized the maximum scholarship award through the Access Missouri program to $2,850, regardless of use at a public or private college in the state. Lawmakers also repealed the expiration date of the Access Missouri program.

A technology transfer measure in the same bill exempts an institution of higher education from the Open Meetings and Records Law if the institution holds an ownership or membership interest in an entity engaged in current or prospective 36

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commercialization of faculty skills or knowledge, or of the institution’s research, research capabilities, intellectual property, technology or technological resources.

Additional legislation raises the maximum amount that the University of Missouri Board of Curators may annually award in an individual grant for spinal cord injuries and other specific disease processes from $50,000 to $250,000.

ADULT BUSINESSES The General Assembly passed a measure regulating sexually oriented businesses by limiting their geographic location, ownership interests, state of dress and actions within the business, minimum age of patrons, use or sale of alcohol on site, hours of operation and other practices.

TAXES Changes in tax collection procedures include clarification of sales tax on resale items and admission to amusement parks, athletic events, games, entertainment and other recreation events, plus sales tax regulations on gross receipts at hotels, motels, taverns, restaurants, drugstores, dining cars, tourist camps or similar businesses.

Another measure exempts nonprofit cooperative marketing associations from state sales taxes for co-ops that pay an annual fee of $10 in lieu of certain taxes.

The city of Ashland is now authorized to impose, upon voter approval, a transient guest tax of between 2 and 5 percent per occupied room per night for the promotion of tourism.

PUBLIC MEETINGS A measure that sets the notice period for public meetings of the governing body of any county, city, town, or village or any entity created by these political subdivisions requires notice of four business days prior to voting. It also requires a public meeting to allow public comment on an issue involving the implementation of a tax increase, a retail development project that utilizes the power of eminent domain, creation of a transportation development or community improvement district, or the approval of a redevelopment plan that pledges public funds as financing for the project or plan.

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INVENTIONS

Dongsheng Duan (center) surrounded by his laboratory staff.

FINDING THE STRENGTH TO GO ON Dongsheng Duan Is Unlocking The Secrets Of Muscular Dystrophy

by SANDY SELBY photos by L.G. PATTERSON

T

he economics of developing an effective treatment for muscular dystrophy will be measured in millions of dollars, but the real profit will come from the young lives that are saved. There are several different versions of muscular dystrophy, both childhood and adult onset, but the worst is called Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. DMD occurs in about one in 3,000 boys and robs the child of muscular control and movement, often leads to heart failure, and is fatal in 100 percent of cases. Few of its victims live past age 30; many die in their teens.

Dongsheng Duan, an associate professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the University of Missouri School of Medicine, and his talented

research team have become symbols of hope to frightened parents and patients — and with good reason. Their breakthrough research in the field of gene therapy may lead to a cure for DMD and other inherited diseases.

Duan is remarkably self-effacing for someone who is a rock star in genetic research circles. He shyly ducks the camera and eagerly shares credit for his discoveries with the scientists who blazed the genetic research trail and the young postdocs and students who work in his lab.

“The work was not started by me,” Duan says. “It was started by some other pioneers. There’s a gene called the dystrophin gene; its mutation leads to muscular dystrophy. This was the first human gene cloned back in 1988.”

Until recently, scientists knew about the dystrophin gene, but did not completely understand how its mutation led to such a devastating result.

Duan explains that when a person exercises, blood flows to muscles, but doesn’t flood other organs such as the stomach.

“Initially our brain tells the vessels to contract because it’s trying to reduce the blood perfusion to the intestines or to other areas, but you also need the vessels in the muscle to open,” he says. “We only have one brain and it gives one instruction: ‘Everybody do the same thing.’ You need to have something locally in the muscle to specifically open the vessel in the muscle.

That “something” is nitric oxide, the effects of which became well known with the development of Viagra.

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INVENTIONS

“We’ve cured mice. Now we’re trying to see if we can cure dystrophic dogs.”

“One function of dystrophin is to bring a protein called nNOS to the muscle membrane,” Duan says. “That nNOS protein produces nitric oxide, which would immediately release to produce the relaxing effect on the vessels. In muscular dystrophy, when dystrophin is gone, nNOS is also gone from the muscle membrane. Hence, the vessels cannot be relaxed during contraction and you get ischemia and muscle damage. We were able to map out what region in the big dystrophin protein is responsible for this important function. We also developed a new therapeutic gene that can accomplish 40

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this function. It was considered a big thing in the field.”

Duan’s team found that, in addition to causing ischemia, the delocalized nNOS actually can directly damage the muscle.

Duan is fond of an analogy a graduate student came up with that describes the relationship between dystrophin and nNOS as that of parent and child.

Dystrophin is the parent, nNOS is the child, and the muscle cell is a big shopping mall, the analogy deems. If the parent doesn’t hang on to the child, the child will wander off. When dystrophin mutates, it becomes an irresponsible parent and nNOS wanders off instead of staying put at

the cell membrane to trigger the release of nitric oxide, which opens the vessel to allow blood flow to the muscle.

Duan’s lab is working on substituting the bad parents with good ones by replacing mutated genes with healthy ones. He’s found a way to send healthy genes into the body via a viral vector, also called a bionanoparticle, that could be introduced via injection into the bloodstream. The potential is enormous and has already proven effective in animal experiments.

“We’ve been able to get that to work in mice,” he says. “We’ve cured mice.

Now we’re trying to see if we can cure dystrophic dogs. If we succeed, it will be an important stepping stone to future clinical trials.”

If Duan’s research yields the cure for muscular dystrophy — and, potentially, a method to bulk up muscles that deteriorate for other reasons, including age — there are many more rounds of animal and human trials to come. For parents whose children are suffering, that wait can be difficult to bear and Duan takes time each week to answer e-mails from anxious parents.

He even receives financial support from parents who want to take action against the disease that is robbing their children of a healthy life. His research is also supported by organizations that include the National Institutes of Health, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Parent Project for Muscular Dystrophy.

Duan has applied for a patent on the new genes that bring nNos to the muscle membrance to release nitric oxide to the blood vessels in muscles, and pharmaceutical companies will surely line up for a chance to produce the treatment that may someday come from his work.

The Chinese-born Duan went to medical school in China at the bidding of his parents, but eventually followed his passion into research, earning a Ph.D. in microbiology at the University of Pennsylvania. If his promising research comes to fruition, Dongsheng Duan, Ph.D., will save more lives than Dongsheng Duan, M.D., ever could.

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TECHNOLOGY

The World Is Your Office How Wireless Technology Can Set Your Business Free

W

ith the help of smart phones and wireless technology, the workplace is no longer confined to particular geographic locales. Perhaps you check your Blackberry during lunch to see if someone has replied to an e-mail, or you’re sitting on a fishing boat and texting a client in England. Wireless technology affords you the luxury of always knowing what’s going on with information that’s available immediately and — depending on which wireless service you use — nearly anywhere.

AT&T spokesperson Marisa Giller says, “Small businesses are managing their operations in more innovative, cost-effective ways these days, thanks to the growth of the mobile Internet. The convergence of wireless networks and business applications is leading to greater workforce productivity, innovative ways of collaborating with suppliers and, perhaps most important, new revenue streams.”

To 3G Or Not To 3G You may have seen the commercials touting 3G service or know that your smart phone has 3G capabilities, but what exactly does that mean? U.S. Cellular Direct Sales Manager Teri Twyman explains: “3G is an industry standard that telecommunication providers are held to for data transmissions speeds. 3G means third generation.”

AT&T’s Giller adds: “In layman’s terms, [3G technology] means that customers in Columbia can access the Internet, e-mail and other Web-based applications on their mobile devices with accelerated data speed — meaning, it can sometimes get as fast as accessing the Internet from a wired computer at home.” This is true for users of 3G on any network.

“Our 3G network also allows businesses to multitask, by offering simultaneous voice and data on 3G-enabled devices,” 42

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Giller says. “And when 4G launches, devices will be able to access that information even faster.”

Verizon Wireless Data Sales Manager Mark Kupsky highlights another benefit of 3G wireless technology.

“Wireless data enables customers not only to access information easier by using Verizon’s 3G technology to access the Internet, download e-mail and attachments but also as wireless backup for business continuity.” Kupsky says this is a way for a business “to enable connectivity and operational redundancy and to eliminate potential outages.”

Public safety departments rely on wireless data connectivity for the sharing of information between vehicles and the dispatch center, he says, adding that “Verizon works with many local, regional, state and federal agencies.”

4G, also known as LTE [Long Term Evolution] is not far off, Kupsky says.

“Verizon Wireless is currently conducting tests in two markets and

by CHRISTINA INGOGLIA

plans to launch commercial service in 30 markets covering 100 million people in the U.S. later this year,” he says. “Verizon’s aggressive plans include nationwide [4G] coverage by the end of 2013.”

Speed And Access “Businesses and individuals should look at what they need from a provider and then determine the best service is for those needs,” Giller says. “Businesses should care about their network because it is the network that supports the ability to be mobile — and the speed at which they’re able to access data while on the go.”

Regardless of which network you choose to invest in personally and professionally, there is much to be gained, especially as businesses look to cut costs and increase revenues, says U.S. Cellular’s Twyman.

“By having information available to you via a wireless modem, smart phone or other data device,” she says, “it is estimated that you can increase your efficiency by an hour each day.”

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

St. Mary’s Chest Pain Center Receives Accreditation

S

t. Mary’s Health Center in Jefferson City received the highest level of accreditation as a full Cycle III Chest Pain Center with PCI from The Society of Chest Pain Centers.

“St. Mary’s understands that minutes really do matter when it comes to the heart,” says Denise Webber, St. Mary’s Chest Pain Center coordinator. “Our goal is to make sure each patient with chest pain is taken care of quickly and accurately, so they can have the best possible outcome and quality of life.”

More than 5 million Americans visit hospitals each year with chest pain. The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and react to the early symptoms of a possible heart attack, reduce the time that it takes to receive treatment, and increase the accuracy and effectiveness of treatment.

The St. Mary’s Chest Pain Center was evaluated by a review team from the Society of Chest Pain Centers. Key areas include: n Integrating the emergency department with the local emergency medical system n Assessing, diagnosing, and treating patients quickly n Effectively treating patients with low risk for acute coronary syndrome and no assignable cause for their symptoms n Continually seeking to improve processes and procedures n Ensuring Chest Pain Center personnel competency and training n Supporting community outreach programs that educate the public to promptly seek medical care if they display symptoms of a possible heart attack

Shuttered Brick Factory To Reopen

T

he 100-year-old A.P. Green plant in Mexico, Mo., will be churning out bricks again when the facility reopens next year with a new name and an altered product line.

Mid America Brick & Structural Clay Products LLC has announced it will acquire, re-commission and operate the former A.P. Green refractory plant as a face brick manufacturing facility. The plant will provide approximately 80 new jobs once it is fully operational in 2011.

A $21.9 million financing package from private investors plus state and local government programs is funding the project that took three years to put together. Advantage Capital Partners, a venture capital and small business finance firm, is providing $9.75 million in financing. Additional investors include Rand Capital, real estate investment group Environmental Liability Transfer, and a group of individual local investors.

Mid America Brick also obtained funding from Neighborhood Improvement District bonds, a Missouri Department

of Economic Development loan, Brownfield tax credits, a Community Development Block Grant, and other training and enterprise enhancement incentives.

The A.P. Green plant, which opened in 1910, was once one of the largest refractory brick manufacturers in the United States, producing firebrick for industrial furnaces all over the world.

The Mexico plant employed 2,500 at its peak; it closed in 2002. Mid America Brick will use the facility to produce face brick for residential and commercial/ industrial construction. When the plant is fully operational, it is expected to produce nearly 60 million bricks annually.

“There has been a tremendous amount of dedication to see this project through,” says Mid America Brick CEO Frank Cordie, a former A.P. Green executive.

“I am extremely pleased that we will be able to begin the work that will lead to redeveloping the area, reopening this plant and providing jobs in our community.”

CMU Honored As A ‘Model Of Efficiency’

C

entral Methodist University in Fayette is one of seven colleges and universities nationwide honored by University Business magazine’s Models of Efficiency — a program that identifies new approaches for streamlining operations to deliver superior services to students in less time and at lower cost.

“We launched Models of Efficiency to honor those colleges and universities that are applying the same kind of innovation and dedication to service that we’re seeing from leading-edge companies in the private sector,” says Tim Goral, editorin-chief of University Business. “Central Methodist’s innovation really stands out

because it succeeded on a quantitative and qualitative level.”

The magazine lauded CMU’s success in developing a program to facilitate scholarship applications and approvals that is tied into the university’s enterprise resource planning operation, eliminating the inefficiencies, duplicate entries and redundant processes that plagued an earlier, Web-based program.

The solution, devised by the school’s information services group, uses a single, uniform scholarship submission form to streamline the process. With the new program, the school has reduced by half the time required to award a student a scholarship.

The Bank Of Missouri Named Top Community Bank Lender In May, the U.S. Small Business Administration recognized The Bank of Missouri as the No. 1 community bank lender in the St. Louis SBA District. Dennis Melton, SBA district director, presented the award to Keith McLaughlin, senior vice president of the The Bank of Missouri during a ceremony on May 10. The Bank of Missouri is an independent community bank locally owned and operated with more than $800 million in assets and locations in Perryville, Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Marble Hill, Springfield, Ozark, Republic and Columbia.

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n Pa tte rs o LG PH OT OS BY Se lb y Sa nd y BY

the

robInSon’S cleanerS recoVerS from a deVaStatIng fIre wIth help from uneXpected placeS

clothing using bar codes and includes information on the brand, size and color of each item. That system, it turned out, was an important key to the company’s recovery when disaster struck early on March 29.

Day One

Casey Smith’s cell phone rang as he was driving to work on a Monday morning.

It was Regina, one of his employees at the Robinson’s Cleaners headquarters on Business Loop 70.

“There’s something on fire in the back,” she said.

“OK, put it out,” Smith told her.

“There are fire extinguishers back there and there’s a garden hose.”

Regina relayed Smith’s instructions to the worker in the back room who had discovered the fire. Seconds later, she came back on the line: “He said it’s too big,” Exasperated, Smith instructed his employees to just grab the garden hose and put the fire out.

“It’s too big,” she answered right before she and her co-workers dashed outside. “It’s too big.”

Smith and his sister, Kit Price, are the owners of Robinson’s Cleaners and have built on the business’s 100-year reputation for quality dry cleaning and laundry services with the quickest turnaround in town.

“Being able to service the customer is the whole ball of wax for us,” Smith says. “Our business is set up on speed.

We’re the McDonald’s of dry cleaning in Columbia and in mid-Missouri, and we are really set up for a lot of same-day and next-day stuff. It’s fast, fast, fast, speed, speed, speed.”

That speed is enhanced by a state-ofthe-art computer system that tracks the

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Like her brother, Price was in transit when she heard about the fire. She was on her way to one of the company’s Jefferson City locations when Smith called her. He wasn’t yet on the scene and didn’t know how bad things really were, but Price’s intuition was on high alert. She turned around and rushed back toward Columbia.

The fire began in a dryer in the back section of the building. The actual cause was never determined.

“They really investigated it a lot, several times, several different engineers,” Smith says, and admits his curiosity about the source of ignition takes a back seat to his desire to get things back to normal. “We just wanted them to determine whatever they wanted so we could move on, because we knew how long a road we had in terms of ordering equipment and getting things cleaned up in the back and getting it all ready.”

According to Price, the fire, which burned for about 30 minutes, did about $300,000 worth of damage. It destroyed the dryer where it originated, along with the dry cleaning machine and one of the washing machines.

The damage was bad, but it could have been worse. Smith, it turns out, received the second call his employee made that morning. The first was to 911 and Smith has nothing but praise for the firefighters who responded.

“The fire department did a wonderful job,” he says. “They were excellent.

They handled it well; they were careful yet they did their job. They were very sympathetic to us. I just can’t say enough good things about those people.”

When the fire department cleared the scene later that morning, Price and Smith had a soggy, sooty mess on their hands.

There were thousands of pieces of clothing that reeked of smoke. Other clothing items were damaged beyond repair.

“Our first thought was: What are we going to do?” Smith recalls. “We had clothing that was due that day. We had smoke damage. We had to make a decision on how we were going to proceed in business.”

Price and Smith had two options: shut down until the repairs were made, or find a way to keep the doors open.

“At 11 o’clock, they [the fire department] released us and I said ‘Go take the police tape down. We’re open,” Price says. “We had to be open and we’d figure out what we were going to do little by little.”

The Heroes Smith and Price didn’t take time for self-pity. When power was restored to the building, Price was relieved to find her computer system undamaged and quickly began the arduous process of sorting through piles of smoky, waterlogged clothing to determine what was salvageable and what would have to be turned in as insurance claims.

“Our computer system was absolutely awesome,” she says. “I had just put in a new POS [point of sale] system. On Monday, the fire happened. Monday night, we sent everything we thought could be salvaged to Kansas City to be reprocessed. It came back Wednesday afternoon and we started assimilating that out to our stores so by Friday morning, I knew exactly what we were missing and that’s all due to my computer system. By the time we got done on Friday afternoon, I knew we were missing 511 pieces.”

One of Smith’s first calls was to ServiceMaster of Columbia, who he credits with getting the front half of the 5,000-square-foot building back in pre-fire condition within a week. These disaster recovery specialists coordinated their efforts with the insurance company and the contractors to replace ceiling tiles and carpeting, repaint the walls and >> much of the specialized dry cleaning equipment at the robinson’s cleaners headquarters was destroyed by the march 29 fire.

floors, and eliminate any trace of the smoke that had filled the building just days before.

The damage was worse in the back half of the building where the fire originated. Although the structure was intact, the roof, insulation and drywall had to be replaced, the wiring repaired and the equipment that survived had to be thoroughly cleaned. Smith hopes that the recovery process that began when the fire was extinguished in March will be complete by mid-June, and he’s optimistic that the dry cleaning machine he ordered from an Italian manufacturer will arrive before the month’s end.

“It’s not like a Ford pickup,” Smith says of the dry cleaning machine. “You can’t just go to the Ford store and buy it.

It’s very specialized, very state of the art.

When this is over, it will be better than it was before.”

But until that equipment arrives, Smith and Price must rely on the kindness of their competitors.

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“Tuesday through Friday, we have a cleaners in Jefferson City, a competitor, that lets us use his dry cleaning machine when he’s done with it every day,” Smith says. “I send my dry cleaner down there and he cleans clothes, usually starting around 9:30 or 10 in the morning and cleans until he’s done, which is usually around 3 or 4, then he brings that stuff back. That’s what we’re doing — using someone else’s facility.”

Items brought in over the weekend are sent to a company in Kansas City that cleans the clothes while the Robinson’s driver waits. The clean clothes are back in Columbia on Monday morning, ready to be pressed by Robinson’s employees.

“Our competition could have been really ugly,” Price says, “and they just haven’t been.”

A Half Percent A Day This inconvenient way of doing business has been difficult, Smith admits.

“The challenge is being able to give customer service when you don’t have the equipment at your disposal to give them service,” Smith says. “It’s like having to drive to Boonville to go to the bathroom three times a day.”

For a company that prides itself on complete customer satisfaction, having to occasionally disappoint customers who have come to expect turnaround miracles is difficult for Smith and Price to accept. Fortunately, their loyal clients have been understanding, even those who lost clothing items in the fire.

The truth is, it would have been easier for Price and Smith to shut down the business until repairs were made and the new equipment installed, but that was complicated by the fact that the damaged building is the operations center for Robinson’s six branches.

There were also the employees to consider.

“We have several employees that depend on us so we’re doing our very

best to give them hours,” Smith says.

“When things get tight, I’m not sure they always appreciate it but I know their families do when they’re bringing home paychecks. It’s hard to make them understand that all the time and that’s fine, but we understand we’re doing that for them even though they may not completely grasp it.”

The process of cleaning and repairing and reinstalling goes on at a pace both Price and Smith find maddening.

“It’s a slow process,” Smith says. “It’s getting better every day but it’s like a half a percent kind of situation.”

It can be difficult to count blessings while working in half the usual space and shuffling clothing from town to town, but Price knows how fortunate she and her brother were.

“Thank God no one was hurt,” she says. “It could have been so much worse than it was. We were so lucky in so many ways.”

What Are The Takeaways?

When asked what lessons they’ve learned as they’ve put their business back together after the fire, here’s what Smith and Price had to say.

Smith: “Check your insurance. Make sure you know your policy and make sure your insurance agent will be there and help you decipher the policy. We had a good experience with that. We were pretty lucky as far as that went.”

Price: “Help anyone who needs help for any reason. You never know when you’re going to need that help in return. Be a human being when somebody’s down. You never expect to have to call on that, but you never know when you’re going to need to.”

Why Isn’t Anyone In This Story Named Robinson?

The brother-sister team of Casey Smith and Kit Price are third-generation dry cleaners. Price explains how Smith and Price became the names behind a company called Robinson’s.

“My grandmother and great-uncle owned St. George Laundry in Jefferson City,” Price says. “My dad worked there and eventually split off into the dry cleaning part.

Then he bought Robinson’s Cleaners up here, which has been a cleaners in Columbia for 100 years.”

Price and Smith purchased the business from their parents in 1996. Although the Robinsons are long gone from Robinson’s Cleaners, perhaps it was destiny that brought the siblings to this particular business.

“My mother’s maiden name is Robinson,” Price says.

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GAME ChANGER What The

Center Will mean For Columbia business

On May 17, the business landscape changed in Columbia, Mo. Global technology giant IBM announced plans to open a service delivery center in Columbia this fall, providing hundreds of jobs to midMissourians. The impact of Columbia’s new corporate neighbor on the rest of the local business community will be both immediate and far-reaching.

by KATHY CASTEEL • photos by L.G. PATTERSON

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olumbia Mayor Bob McDavid calls it “the second most important public-private partnership in the history of Columbia … just behind that one that happened in 1839” when a local group of investors partnered with the state to establish the University of Missouri in Boone County.

REDI Chairman Dave Griggs fondly repeats his favorite observation of Columbia’s economic potential: “The stars are aligned in our community for economic development — and this is significant economic development.”

The superlatives are an apt description of the impact expected to take hold in mid-Missouri when International Business Machines Corp., a multinational computer, technology and information technology consulting company, opens in Columbia this fall, creating up to 800 technical, professional jobs over the next two years. Part of a global network of service delivery centers in 20 countries, Columbia’s facility is the third such center IBM has opened in North America in the last 18 months.

Similar centers exist in Lansing, Mich., and Dubuque, Iowa.

While 800 jobs is nothing to sneeze at, the economic boost to the area cannot be measured in such limiting variables as numbers or dollar signs. Dave Griggs likens it to ripples on a pond.

“Throw a pebble into still water and watch the circle grow,” he says. “As those IBM workers settle into Columbia, the circle will keep growing.”

The IBM center will employ at least 600 people, and as many as 800, by the time it is fully operational in 2012.

The Fiscal Impact Tool provided by the Federal Reserve Bank estimates another 450 to 600 jobs will be created by the economic activity generated by the IBM center. The analysis tool applies an economic impact multiplier of 1.75 to the project, meaning that for every four jobs created by IBM, another three jobs will be created elsewhere in Columbia.

Turnover and job-shifting will also create job openings in existing businesses and may fuel competitive salary demands.

“It’s our responsibility to bring in as much of that basic employment as possible,” says Mike Brooks, president of Regional Economic Development Inc. “The whole point of economic development is to bring in money to a community. It’s money that drives our local economy.”

Brooks and Griggs point out that with 600 to 800 new jobs coming to Columbia, most wages will be spent here.

“The IBM employees will buy houses, shop at local stores, eat out in local restaurants, and spend money that will generate opportunities for other businesses in Columbia,” says Griggs.

“More of our local businesses will be exposed to new customers.

That means somebody buys a new Chevy from Bob McCosh or a Ford from Joe Machens. Somebody else will be able to afford to hire a new contract worker, a new driver or a warehouse person.

Retailers can add to their staff. The additional spending creates more business and more business creates more jobs, putting more people into the workforce with more money to spend. And the circle just keeps growing.”

IBM Senior Vice President Tim Shaughnessy greets Columbia.

“IBM choosing Columbia enhances our desirability as a place to do business.”

— REDI President Mike Brooks

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TIMELINE

McDavid sees all this buying and selling as a source of increased revenue to fund city operations as well. The Fiscal Impact Tool’s estimates for net local and state personal property tax revenues generated by the project come in at more than $51,000 a year; without the project, those revenues would be zero. Over the next 10 years, the city could reap more than $7 million in property tax and sales tax revenue from the economic activity started with the IBM center. “And therein lies the economic strength of this arrangement,” the mayor says.

“That’s why we create incentives for established companies with a worldwide reputation,” McDavid says. “IBM is not a speculative startup. It’s been around for 100 years and it’s not going away. It’s a dynamic situation in economic development.

There are about 11,000 REDI-type organizations around the country and they’re all competing with us.”

Jan. 29: Missouri Partnership submits a Request For Information to Columbia REDI feb. 4: REDI submits requested Columbia information to Missouri Partnership feb. 18: Conference call feb. 19: First supplemental submission based on conference call

IBM was lured to Columbia with a package of jobcreation incentives. The state awarded the company $8.6 million in Missouri BUILD funds and $14.7 million from the Missouri Quality Jobs program, plus $4.2 million in funding from the New Jobs program, a $300,000 Customized Training grant and $412,500 in assistance from Employee Recruitment and Referral Savings. In addition, IBM receives a state sales tax exemption for personal property such as equipment and company vehicles.

Local incentives include a 50 percent tax abatement for personal property and a sales tax exemption. A workforce consortium is donating office space for recruitment and training while IBM’s building undergoes renovations, and several local media outlets are donating $88,000 in job recruitment advertising.

The city has purchased a building at 2810 LeMone Industrial Blvd., which IBM will lease for $1 a year for 10 years with an option for a five-year extension. The Robert M. LeMone Trust sold the property for $3.1 million. The transaction, finalized in late May, was run through the not-for-profit Columbia Area Jobs Foundation, which will secure up to $10 million in construction loans to pay for renovation costs at the building. Five banks — Boone County National Bank, Landmark Bank, Commerce Bank, Providence Bank and Hawthorn Bank — are financing the purchase and construction loans.

CAJF will oversee the construction process and then the city will take title to the building by the end of the year. Monthly loan payments of $27,359.38 on the $2.6 million purchase balance begin Feb. 1, 2011. Under the lease agreement, IBM will pay a “fixed rent” equal to the city’s loan payment and “additional rent” to cover operating expenses, including management fees and payments in lieu of taxes; because the property is now owned by a public entity and exempt from real estate taxes, the payment will make up the difference in tax loss.

Last year’s taxes were $25,498 on the parcel, which included an additional 3 acres of land.

Property management services will be provided by WilGate-LDC Management LLC, a joint venture of WilGate Development and Little Dixie Construction. WilGate-LDC will

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March 1-2: Site visit, dinner and reception March 4: Second supplemental submission March 5: Site recommended to IBM management March 15–16: Second site visit, including IBM vice president March 26: Conference call March 30: Conference call April 2: Conference call April 6–7: Third site visit May 17: IBM announces choice of Columbia location May 25: Construction begins on site renovation Summer: IBM begins employee recruitment/interview process Fall: IBM site opens for business Nov. 1: Building renovations complete for initial occupancy December 2012: IBM center will be fully staffed Sources: Regional Economic Development Inc., Little Dixie Construction, IBM

provide all services associated with operating the building, including cleaning, janitorial and building maintenance services; utilities; snow and ice removal services; contracting for insurance policies; and monthly accounting for receipt and expenditures of funds.

McDavid sees the building purchase as a shrewd investment.

“In the end, the city will own a $12 million building that we paid $3 million for,” he says.

IBM’s technology service delivery center will be housed in a repurposed building on 9.5 acres at 2810 LeMone Industrial Blvd. Originally owned by LeMone-Smith Development Co. Inc. — a company formed by the late Robert LeMone and Jeff Smith — Little Dixie Construction built the industrial building in 1984. Tricon Industries, an automobile seat manufacturer, was the original tenant, occupying the building until 1998.

“After 1998, the building was tremendously underutilized,” says Little Dixie Operations Manager Mac LeMone. “There were numerous and varied month-to-month tenants for office space, warehouse space and storage.” Recent tenants included HVAC contractor Air Masters, Dayton Freight Lines and MarineParents.com. The building had stood vacant since last summer.

Construction began May 25 to transform the building into 91,997 square feet of office space with a 740-space parking lot, according to the plans of local architect John Simon of Simon Associates. The updated design will strive for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) “green building” certification. IBM has pledged to work with the city to incorporate the facility into Columbia’s Sustainable City program, building bike paths to connect the site with downtown and planting trees and bushes along LeMone Industrial Boulevard.

A proposed overhaul of the Columbia city bus system would include a bus line extension to LeMone Industrial Boulevard and Discovery Ridge. Highway work to extend Maguire Boulevard north and link the area to Stadium Boulevard should finish this summer.

Converting a 26-year-old industrial manufacturing site into a state-of-the-art technology center — a project involving 123 construction jobs — has its challenges, say the remodelers.

“We have been very innovative in our approach to adaptively reuse the core structure,” says Jay Burchfield of WilGate Development, a subcontractor on the project.

IBM will move into the completed facility on Nov. 1. But long before the ribbon-cutting ceremony, the company will be present in Columbia, hiring and training the first group of new employees. The company has begun selecting a team of existing IBM employees — starting with 10 to 20 people —who will arrive in Columbia this summer to recruit and train employees.

The initial group of trainers will grow to 80 or 90 as more new employees begin work.

“Our first employees will be existing IBMers who know how to establish a new site, know IBM processes and technology, and know the types of skills we will need to recruit,” says an IBM spokesman. “IBMers work all across the country; they will come from many locations. We will grow this team of experienced IBMers as we hire new employees.”

The IBM veterans will hire and train a group of about 100 to open the center this fall. The company’s intense, specialized training takes about six to eight weeks, followed by four weeks of monitoring to ensure the success of the training. The process will be repeated with succeeding groups of 100 that will be hired, trained and monitored until the center reaches full employment.

When the site is fully staffed and operational, the percentage of original IBM employees will be around 10 percent, company representatives say. “Our intent is that the majority of the employees would be permanently based in Columbia,” he says, adding that the company has committed to the state to employ up to 800 regular full-time workers by the end of 2012.

The Columbia service delivery center will serve a global clientele of companies that have outsourced many of their technology tasks to IBM, such as server management, database management and storage. IBM will be filling these jobs with system administrators, database administrators, application programmers, technical support specialists, backup and recovery specialists, access managers and analysts.

The hiring plan includes both experienced employees and, to a lesser degree, recent graduates who are new to the workforce.

There are some niche skills that the company may have to recruit from outside of mid-Missouri, but if that is the case, says a spokesman, “these employees would be asked to be permanent residents of Missouri.”

To get an early peek at the types of jobs that will be offered, go to www.ibm.com/careers/us and check out job postings for the IBM center in Dubuque, Iowa. The work at the Columbia center will be similar to Dubuque, a company spokesman says, so many of the job descriptions will be the same.

“These are highly trained, technical, professional jobs,” he says. “We will offer a competitive salary and benefits package that will encompass a broad range of compensation, based on work experience and skill.”

As a condition of incentives, the state requires IBM to provide at least 600 jobs on-site at a pay scale above the average annual wage for those jobs in Boone County. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, average wages for technology jobs — network and systems administrators and data analysts — are in the $55,000 range in the Columbia area.

A link to job postings in Columbia will become active this summer.

As if hundreds of new jobs weren’t reason enough to celebrate the recent successes of Columbia’s business recruiters,

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“IBM is coming to Columbia.

Isn’t that great!” — Mayor Bob McDavid Staff and volunteers spent thousands of hours, Griggs says, working with the IBM selection team, answering questions and providing information on everything from the quality of the local workforce (IBM was impressed with the skills, education and availability of workers here) to the lifestyle, entertainment options and cost of living in Columbia (“The real estate prices just blew them away,” Griggs says).

The local recruitment team even put together a newcomer’s package on every aspect of Columbia life.

Apparently, the team liked what it learned. “It offered a crosssection of what life is like here,” Griggs says. “I really believe that’s what cinched the deal.”

Griggs made sure the IBM team got to know Mike Staloch, vice president of operations for State Farm Insurance here, so he could tell them his story of how Columbia welcomed the insurance firm when it moved its regional facility from Louisiana to Columbia. Someday, Griggs believes, IBM will be able to tell a similar story to the next business looking to set up shop here.

“The competitive deal opened the door for us with IBM,” Griggs says. “But the community sealed the deal.”

the landing of IBM is a shot in the arm for local economic development efforts.

“When you look at marketing, you’re trying to get your brand out there in earned media,” Brooks says. “We couldn’t buy all the publicity that this announcement has generated. I expect the positive exposure to continue for the next year and a half.”

Griggs smiles at the overnight effect of announcing the nation’s seventh-largest job creation project this year. “Earned media is priceless,” he says. “Columbia, Mo., has become a household word in the IT tech-related industry. All that national press may cause other businesses to pause and think, ‘Hmmm … maybe we should take a look at Columbia.’ ” REDI is now working with several other prospects generated by the IBM news, Griggs says. “It put us on the map for site selectors and corporate locators looking for locations in the Midwest.”

The “phenomenal effort” put forth by the team that recruited IBM has not gone unnoticed, Griggs says. “We are top of mind now at the Missouri Department of Economic Development,” he says. “We’ve proven ourselves and demonstrated that we can create an environment for business and job creation.”

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to the CITY

by KATHY CASTEEL photos by L.G. PATTERSON

Mayor Bob McDavid Takes The Reins At City Hall

D

r. Bob McDavid estimates he delivered some 5,000 Boone Countians into the world over the course of his nearly 28 years of medical practice. Now, as the new mayor of Columbia, McDavid hopes to position the city to deliver economic rebirth in mid-Missouri. Prosperity will come, he says, if the city encourages forays into a knowledge-based economy.

“We all know that Columbia is a wonderful place to live,” he said on the campaign trail. “We have talent and ideas in this town. Let’s leverage them into increased economic activity. Then we’ll have the city revenues to enhance our city’s rich services.”

It was a message that resonated with voters, who swept the retired obstetrician into office April 6 with 54 percent of the vote, outpolling his nearest competitor in the six-man race by almost 2 to 1. Within hours of his election victory, McDavid was living his campaign credo as an immediate insider in the final weeks of negotiations to land the IBM technology center here.

He was a quick study, city staffers say, and the IBM team was impressed with how swiftly the new mayor came up to speed.

“When Bob appeared at that 7 a.m. breakfast with IBM officials just a few hours after he left his election party, it was invaluable,” says Regional Economic Development Inc. President Mike Brooks.

“It made a statement to them that it mattered for him to be there.”

He wasn’t even officially on the job yet, but McDavid was already setting the bar for the new role he’d tabbed as Columbia’s “energetic and convincing salesman for clean economic development.”

“Selling Columbia is not hard,” McDavid says. “This city offers a lot of things businesses are looking for: centrally located with a low average cost of living, relatively low taxes and low energy costs. The national fiber-optic network runs along I-70. Our colleges turn out graduates every year for a constant input of educated people in the workforce — that’s got to be attractive.”

He points to the city’s recent inclusion 60

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on Forbes magazine’s list of Best Small Places for Business and Careers. Columbia is ranked No. 8.

“That list came out after my election, but I can’t take credit,” McDavid says with a smile. “[Former mayor] Darwin Hindman left a legacy of livability. We’re building the perception that Columbia is a business-friendly town because this is a great place to live.”

Livability gives the city leverage, he says, to compete for businesses in industries the city wants to cultivate.

“Columbia has a track record of not wanting to have smokestack industries,” he notes. “We’re not going to bring a lead smelter here. What we like are the knowledge-based jobs — ABC Labs and IBM, for instance. To attract those kinds of jobs, we must maintain our symbiotic relationship with the University of Missouri. If we’re going to grow, we need a strong, growing university. We want MU to grow — growth means more professors, more grants and more students.”

Health care, he notes, is 20 percent of Columbia’s gross metropolitan product; higher education accounts for another 30 percent. “We’re building on what we’ve already established.”

McDavid adds that Columbia’s economic development efforts won’t ignore employment opportunities for blue-collar workers.

“We also need to supply bluecollar jobs,” he says. “We can’t smugly concentrate on one sector to the detriment of others. We’re also looking at workforce gaps and the need for a tech school here.

Are we filling that need? A knowledgebased economy spins off opportunities for other services. There’s a multiplier effect, just as what we expect to happen with the IBM center. For every four jobs created

by IBM, another three jobs will be created elsewhere in Columbia — a trucking firm needs another driver, or a restaurant hires another server, or a merchant adds to its sales staff. The net effect is more jobs.”

Because he ties Columbia’s livability image so closely to the city’s future opportunities, McDavid is adamant about preserving that image. His mayoral campaign platform stressed concerns for public safety, a basic amenity that he calls essential for attracting economic

development. Pointing to FBI statistics that show increasing instances of violent crime here, he digs in.

“Violent crime is decreasing around the country,” he says. “But not here.

Rather than argue over the significance of percentage points, we need to face this head on. It’s so important to get ahead of these numbers. We need to talk about it.”

That talk has included the possibility of installing security cameras downtown, authorized by voters in an April 6 referendum, and the use of license plate scanners by Columbia police, courtesy of a donation from the Boone County Sheriff ’s Department. Following close on the heels of red-light cameras the city has installed at various intersections, critics have disparaged the additional technology as intrusive. The mayor is unswayed.

“I understand the right-to-privacy argument,” McDavid says. “But there’s a right to safety, also. Surveillance cameras are a fact of life already. There are 270 cameras at Boone Hospital alone. That shows they’re concerned with the safety of the patients and the staff. We want to make it as safe as we can make it for people to be downtown. We want people coming downtown. We want parents to feel safe in sending their children to school here.

“Right now we’re dealing with perceptions, and perception is more important than reality,” he says. “If downtown cameras create a perception that we’re on top of this and we care, then they’re worth it. They matter.”

McDavid wants to encourage the notion that Columbia is a safe place to live,

do business and go to school — but only for the good guys.

“Cameras and plate scanners are law enforcement tools,” he says. “If someone has an outstanding warrant or is driving a stolen car, I’d like them to think Columbia, Mo., is a bad place to do business.”

Perception can be a fickle business partner, often trumped by cold, hard reality — and when reality raised its ugly head on YouTube, McDavid’s young administration was in for a firestorm of criticism. After the Columbia police video of the botched SWAT raid went viral on the Internet, it seemed the city’s cachet of positivity had run out.

“There was nothing positive about it,” McDavid says with a wince. “We made some mistakes, and responsibility for

“We’re building the perception that Columbia is a businessfriendly town because this is a great place to live.”

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those mistakes falls on the leadership.”

The mayor found himself in the glare of the national news spotlight, appearing as a guest on Fox’s “Freedom Watch” while Anthony Napolitano grilled him on the February raid where a police SWAT unit burst into a suspected drug dealer’s Columbia home, firing shots in front of a child and killing one of the family’s dogs; no drugs were found in the home.

Although the raid occurred months before McDavid became mayor, investigators released their report of the incident and the video on May 3.

“I stand by everything I said on the show,” McDavid says. “It’s complicated.

Police work is hard. There’s a tough side to it — a side that no one wants to see. More than 100 police officers are killed every year in this country. They take risks every day.

“This, however, was not a high-risk situation. The SWAT tactic is a violent tactic. There’s a time and a place for it, and this was not it. We can’t do that again.

The police chief took ownership and made changes. I have confidence in Chief Ken Burton.”

McDavid’s performance during the controversy earned kudos from the city staff.

“Mayor McDavid has done very well in projecting a steady Columbia image through positive and negative events,” says City Manager Bill Watkins. “He has a high level of political sensitivity; he’s able to see an issue from multiple perspectives.

He took the police issue by the horns and wanted to deal with it immediately. He got out in front of the issue — he heard the community, he heard the cops, and he worked with the chief and handled it. By explaining what happened and the changes being implemented so it won’t happen again, it turned out very positively.”

McDavid defines his leadership style as consensus building.

“Everyone has problems to solve,” he says. “It takes interaction to solve problems. In medicine, the interaction for a physician and patient is one-on-one. But in government, the interaction involves constituencies and interest groups. You still have to define the problem — you can never lose sight of the problem — and look for consensus. If you can define the 62

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problem and if you can achieve consensus, the solution is easy.”

Still, piloting the city through an economically dismal time is no piece of cake.

“Bob’s a numbers guy,” says Watkins.

“He wants justification for a proposal, but he supports it if we make a good argument.”

McDavid has transitioned smoothly into the mayor’s chair as he orchestrates the direction of Columbia City Council meetings. He smiles frequently and welcomes all comers in their quests to communicate with the council. He is quick to ask questions on procedural issues and stays focused in moving the meetings along.

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“He’s certainly a consensus builder,” says Barbara Weaver, who spent 13 years working alongside McDavid on the Boone Hospital Center Board of Trustees. “He tries to present both sides of the issue and is willing to look at all aspects. But he’s a champion for whatever cause he believes in and has integrity — he means what he says.”

McDavid has identified the city’s major financial issues for the council to address.

“Columbia is spending more money than it takes in,” he says. “We have a $3 million deficit and we’re dipping into reserves. Our personnel costs are going up and our revenues are declining.”

It’s time for frugality, McDavid says.

“We’ve cut back on social services, increased user fees, delayed infrastructure and failed to fund all of our public safety positions.”

All four city pension plans are substantially underfunded because assumptions made by pension actuaries have not held up, leaving few options to address the pension fund deficiencies, he says. “One, we can hope for the government to bail us out, but I’ve never considered hope a sound investment strategy. Two, we could increase taxes.

And three, we can increase employee participation in their pension plan.”

The finances of the city government will take up much of the council’s

attention in the coming weeks.

“The city is like 30 different companies, tied together as an independent organization,” he says. “Some have no chance of breaking even. We have to manage unit cost and increase productivity while dealing with fixed pricing. There are no other options.”

He’s looking for savings in every corner, and says no idea is too small. When the city switched to vouchers as a more efficient means of distributing trash bags, he notes, the city saved $300,000 a year.

“You set a culture,” he says. “We need to set an example of what to expect. That’s what it comes down to — expectations and perceptions.”

From Stethoscope To Gavel: Bob McDavid’s Journey From Hospital To City Hall

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ayor Bob McDavid is used to dealing with challenges. As an obstetrician-gynecologist, he saw 30 patients a day and coped with a capricious schedule that bent to the unpredictability of a baby’s urge to be born.

Meeting those challenges, it turns out, was good training for his new vocation as CEO of this city of 100,000.

“MDs are very interactive with people,” says the 63-year-old mayor. “People come to their doctor because they have a problem.

You need a lot of interaction with a person to solve their problem.

It’s the same way in government.”

Born in Ironton, McDavid grew up in DeSoto, the son of a factory worker and a grocery clerk. He began college as an engineering student at the University of Missouri-Rolla, but transferred to MU’s Columbia campus his sophomore year to major in chemistry.

He entered medical school after his junior year, graduating in 1972. After completing an ob-gyn residency at MU, he cofounded Women’s Health Associates in 1976, where he practiced until 2003. Skyrocketing malpractice insurance rates convinced him it was time to hang up his stethoscope — his premium had quadrupled in one year. McDavid has since worked as a consultant to the Missouri Board of Healing Arts.

Married for 40 years — wife Suzanne is a nurse with Columbia Public Schools — the McDavids live in the Third Ward, where they raised two children, Kim and Scott, and enjoy visits with their three grandchildren.

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McDavid entered politics in 1997 when he won a seat on the Boone Hospital Center Board of Trustees. In 2006, his proposal to end the lease between the county-owned hospital and St. Louisbased BJC HealthCare, which operates Boone Hospital, rocked the county. But by year’s end, BJC had offered Boone a new lease that returned more profits to the hospital and helped pay down construction debt.

“There were some tense times,” says Dan Rothery, president and CEO of Boone Hospital Center. “But we never lost sight of the mission, working through issues together for the good of the community we serve. Dr. McDavid had certain expectations that he made very clear: maintain the quality and patient satisfaction, treat the employees and medical staff with respect, and practice good fiscal discipline.”

Rothery also introduced McDavid to BJC’s management discipline.

McDavid calls it as an excellent training ground for his new role away from the delivery room.

“In some ways, my life as an obstetrician was predictably unpredictable,” he says. “I knew how many patients I’d see in the office, how many surgeries I’d do. Of course, babies are entirely unpredictable — night or day. But now I can sleep all night.

Columbia is a busy, active town. The day-to-day responsibilities — meetings, engagements, etc. — vary dramatically. There’s less rhythm. In time that may change …

“It’s a very different challenge, and just as exhilarating.”

DIVIDENDS

working vacations

ALL WORK AND ALL PLAY Vacation Destinations For People Who Can’t Leave The Office Behind by JESSICA PERKINS

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ho says you can’t combine business with pleasure? Modern technology and generous amenities make working away from the office easier than ever, and in many cities, conference centers and meeting venues abound. More and more travelers are choosing to bring family members along on working vacations, sandwiching meetings and projects between sightseeing and fine dining.

When it comes to choosing a destination, the sky’s the limit: Your temporary office could be located among the desert sands of Santa Fe or even the bright city lights of Shanghai.

Eclectic Destination: Santa Fe, N.M. Board meetings take on a different feel against a backdrop of azure desert skies and the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

Newcomers to the culture-rich city of Santa Fe will fall in love with the moderate climate and one-of-a-kind blend of American Indian, medieval Spanish and Southwestern influences. Happily, the cuisine reflects this diverse heritage, giving visitors the opportunity to try anything under the sun from Asian to European fare.

Santa Fe is a very “connected” city with an abundance of corporate-friendly hotels and restaurants, many of which boast high-speed Internet. It is also home to the brand-new Santa Fe Convention Center, which has audio and video capabilities that make large-scale meetings easy and comfortable. The convention center is conveniently located downtown near shops, museums and accommodations.

Between seminars or while taking a break from a project, check out the New Mexico Museum of Art or the Georgia O’Keefe Museum; after hours, unwind at one of the city’s eclectic nightlife hotspots such as The Lodge hotel, where flamenco 66

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dancers perform, or La Casa Sena, where the servers burst into renditions of Broadway tunes. Pueblos, ancient American Indian dwellings carved out of cliffs, are but a short drive from the city and make for a fascinating daytrip.

FamilyFriendly Destination: Orlando, Fla. As the second most popular choice among meeting planners, Orlando is accustomed to hosting companies from across the country. This city in the “Sunshine State” remains one of the most attractive and affordable travel destinations — plus, your kids will think

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you’re a hero if you bring them along, especially if a certain mouse figures into your plans.

By scheduling plenty of sightseeing time into your trip — bookending business with two fun-focused weekends, for example — you can be productive and also enjoy your trip.

Hotels and resorts such as the Orlando World Center Marriot Resort & Convention Center regularly open their arms to large groups of business travelers, but if it’s just you and your family, consider hotels along International Drive. They are geared toward businesspeople and families alike and offer convenient access to the three heavy hitters: Walt Disney World, SeaWorld and Universal Orlando.

If you’d rather not fuss with arranging for transportation, you might prefer to stay at one of the parks’ official hotels such as Universal’s Hard Rock Hotel or Disney’s Caribbean Beach

Resort. Such accommodations are either on-site or offer free shuttle service to the affiliated park.

Rustic Destination: Vail, Colo.

A cold-weather trip to Vail provides the perfect opportunity to either hole up in a cozy cabin and do some work on your own or secure good conference attendance numbers with the allure of great skiing.

This world-famous town is home to Vail Mountain, the second-longest ski mountain on the continent with a peak elevation of 11,570 feet and a 3,450foot vertical rise. The mountain’s seven bowls and various parks are extremely popular with intermediate and advanced skiers, and the small, 5,000-resident community lends itself to leisurely exploration.

Despite the town’s small size, it is easy to find appropriate venues for conferences or retreats. The Vail Cascade Resort and

working vacations

Manor Vail Lodge, for example, combine lodging with sufficient meeting space.

If your trip falls during the off-season, you can look forward to warm-weather activities such as white-water rafting, mountain biking and horseback riding.

Great Escape: Shanghai, China Shanghai has long been a business travel magnet, and constant development and rejuvenation continues to amp up the mega-city’s appeal. Its charm is in its contradictions, such as street vendors working just blocks away from high-end boutiques and old temples surrounded by larger-than-life skyscrapers.

During your stay, view the breathtaking jade statues in the Jade Buddha Temple and visit the Bund, an architectural symbol of the fusion between old and new Shanghai. For a premium, you can even hold your meetings in facilities located in the Bund and surrounding buildings.

Other attractions include nightlife that never slows down, exquisite gardens, museums and restaurants aplenty.

Trusted hotels such as the Marriot, Holiday Inn and the Four Seasons pepper Shanghai and provide high-speed Internet and other amenities to make it easy to work away from home. Even Days Inn has numerous meeting rooms and has received positive reviews from travelers.

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Jet-Set Cool High-Tech Gadgets That Put The Fun back In Traveling by krysTin arnesOn

every traveling business professional needs a few good gadgets up his or her sleeve. they make life more convenient when on the road, and the coolness factor kicks in when the devices make their owners feel like they’re in a James bond film — because let’s face it, watching hdtV on a laptop or typing on a laser-projected keyboard looks pretty darn sharp.

CLiCkfree TraVeLer fOr BLaCkBerry

$89.99 (16 Gb) or $149.99 (32 Gb) www.clickfree.com There’s always that little “what-if” involved with traveling, especially when you’re the one responsible for delivering an important report or presentation. The Clickfree Traveler was developed to allay those worries. Connect the card to a computer using the SD port and load any important documents onto it, then simply slip it into the port on your Blackberry.

The Traveler will take care of the rest, automatically copying the files to your phone’s memory. No Blackberry? No worries: The device also comes in variations for both iPod and USB port. Goodbye, bulky external hard drives; hello, portability.

hauppauGe winTV-hVr 950Q usB hdTV Tuner

$79.99, best buy As much fun as exploring the airport gift shop is, wouldn’t you rather be watching “House”? Thanks to this little device, now you can. Not only can you stream live television and unencrypted cable at up to 1080i resolution through Windows Media Player, but the gadget also records shows to your computer’s hard drive, so you’re set if there’s another flight delay. Just like your TV at home, you can record programs on a daily, weekly or one-time-only basis, so you never have to worry about missing the next episode of your favorite program. The tuner comes with a credit-card sized remote that’s perfect for slipping into your pocket when you’re on the go between gates. This gadget allows you to watch TV in high definition anywhere there’s Internet — and that’s pretty much anywhere you are.

TuMi uLTra sLiM uniVersaL pOwer adapTOr kiT

CeLLuOn CL850 Laser VirTuaL keyBOard

$194.76, amazon.com The CL850 is like the space pen of keyboards. With a futuristic red laser beam that projects a keyboard, you can type away on any opaque, nonreflective surface. Just connect the device to any USB- or Bluetooth-compatible device, turn it on, and you’re ready to go. The keys work just like a regular keyboard, enabling you to type much faster than picking gingerly at the tiny keys of your smart phone. The keyboard is listed as compatible with Palm, Windows Pocket PC, Blackberry or any Windows operating system, but testers from ThinkGeek.com found it also works on Macs, albeit with limited customization capability. This is all you need to seriously consider leaving the laptop at home — a phone and this small projection device in hand beats a computer in the bag any day.

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$195, tumi.com This kit from Tumi — a veritable star when it comes to travel goods — will prepare you for whatever charging challenge comes your way.

Included is a 120-watt AC/DC power adaptor, as well as 10 attachment heads that can charge anything from portable media players to cameras. A retractable cord keeps your charging station tidy, and the whole shebang comes in a “ballistic nylon” carrying case, just in case you’ll be dodging any missiles at your business conference.

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ceo on the go

Logitech Ultimate Ears 4 Pro Custom Monitors

starting at $399, ultimateears.com Beloved by stage performers and audiophiles alike, these ear buds let you immerse yourself in sound at any moment, whether you’re sinking into solace from wailing infants on an airplane or enjoying a morning cup of coffee at a crowded Starbucks.

Besides delivering incredible sound quality (one reviewer called it “being able to fill a pool up with the liquefied sound of a favorite album”), these ‘buds are custom fit to your ears — so no more frantic re-planting of ear buds when they fall out during a run or brisk walk to work. An audiologist creates silicone casts of your ears, sends them off to Logitech and within about a week, you’ll have a custom-fit, custom-tuned pair of ear buds.

Jiffy Steamers Esteam Travel Series

$69, jiffysteamer.com No matter how clothes get into a suitcase — folded, rolled, tossed in desperation — some wrinkles still seem inescapable. With the Esteam travel series, however, creases and awkwardly bent collars are a thing of the past.

A favorite of stylists, the steamer holds 8 ounces of water, one of the largest reservoirs on the market. That equals 15 minutes of steam per filling — more than enough time to fix that suit, especially when helped along by its 600 watts of power. Order from the company website, to make the most of all the options: Depending on your travel plans, you can customize the voltage, plug shape, and even get a converter for frequent international travel.

The iPad is a brilliant hybrid of a laptop, Kindle and iTouch, all in one.

Apple iPad

starting at $499 apple.com or University of Missouri bookstore It’s the gadget-lover’s ultimate gadget — a brilliant hybrid of a laptop, Kindle and iTouch, all in one shiny, impossibly thin package. If you don’t want to deal with bringing a bagful of electronics with you on a trip, this will take care of just about any need or want that may come up, whether it’s navigational, business-related or for pure relaxation. Watch movies in high definition, create photo slideshows, choose a book off the iBook shelf, or use Notes to jot down some key points during a seminar. Anything you’ve been able to do on an Apple product, you’ll be able to do better on this.

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Converse translator application

$2.99, iTunes Looking for a reliable translator? No need to pay per diem or shell out $200 for a handheld unit anymore — the power of effective polyglot conversation has made its way to the now-ubiquitous iPhone and iTouch. The Converse translator app features two keyboards on the display, each facing toward a different end so two users can communicate (and translate) simultaneously. The keyboard is adaptable to 51 languages, as well as a comprehensive smattering of non-Latin alphabets from Thai to Russian, making this a truly indispensable tool for any traveler going abroad.

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A Beautiful Investment How To Start Your Own Art Collection

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by ANITA NEAL HARRISON

here are numerous rewards to having an art collection. Collectors receive pleasure from having art in their surroundings, art offers terrific conversation fodder, there’s the thrill of finding the next perfect addition and some collections also reward with financial dividends — not a bad bonus.

Sounds like fun, right? Or perhaps the idea of purchasing enough art for a collection just sounds intimidating. Where do you start? How do you know whether what you’re getting is worth the price? Should you really trust your own taste?

Two local art experts, Jennifer Perlow, owner of PS:Gallery, and Diana Moxon, executive director of the Columbia Art League, help answer those questions with five easy-to-follow tips for successful art collecting.

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Collect what you love. “The trick to art is it’s more than the generic aesthetic value — the ‘oh-that-looksgood’ factor — it’s the impact it has on you,” Perlow says.

Look for pieces that “speak” to you on that deeper level, and you will be less likely to bring home art that you soon tire of or that makes you wonder, “What was I thinking?”

“Purchase art when you can say, ‘I want to own that, wear it, see it on my walls or wake up in the morning and look at it,’ ” Moxon says. “The important question is ‘What is it worth to you in terms of your enjoyment of it?’ ”

because you never know. You might love aboriginal art but how will you know unless you see it?”

Perlow adds that Columbians are fortunate to have a thriving arts scene and to live within a short drive of several museums and galleries.

Right here in town is the University of Missouri’s Museum of Art and Archeology, which, Perlow says, provides a “good example of the scope of what’s available.” Art-collecting.com offers a list of Missouri art museums, nonprofit art organizations and art centers at http:// art-collecting.com/nonprofits_mo.htm.

Look for pieces that “speak” to you on that deeper level.

Also consider how the art fits with your lifestyle. For example: “Some people love glass,” Perlow says, “and some people would never think to have glass in their home because it makes them nervous.” No matter how much something speaks to you, it will be hard to enjoy it if having it ties your stomach in a knot.

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Expose yourself. It’s all fine and good to say collect what you love, but what if you don’t know what you love?

“The first step, whether you are just out of college or established in your career, is to expose yourself to art,” Perlow says. “Go to museums, galleries and art shows. Take every opportunity to see what you can see

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Educate yourself. Once you’ve found what you love, learn all you can about it. “If you decide: ‘I love outsider art. I want to begin collecting outsider art,’ go online and Google ‘outsider art galleries,’ Perlow says.

“Start following them. Go to shows in the region.” The same is true if it’s a particular artist that’s caught your attention. If doing this research sounds like a lot of work, remember this broadening of your horizons is in itself a reward. “That’s part of the joy,” Perlow says. “It’s not like buying stocks where you hit a button or go talk to your guy and it’s done. Collecting art, in my opinion, shouldn’t be strictly about the monetary investment. Art gives you more than just a monetary return.”

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Be patient. Building a collection takes time. If you get in a hurry to fill up space, you will probably not end up with a satisfying collection. The approach Perlow and her husband have taken is one workable tactic. Instead of buying each other anniversary gifts, the two of them purchase a piece of art together.

This allows them to build a collection that also serves as a commemoration of their life together.

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Have an epiphany. Usually, when people think of an art collection, they think of a collection with a purely aesthetic function. Moxon encourages a different way of thinking. “I collect art because I love having original art around me,” she says. “It isn’t necessarily what you put on your walls. It goes across all areas of your life. An art collection can be something you look at when you open your kitchen cupboard.”

She illustrates with an experience her husband had one morning after she and he purchased a couple of mugs made by local artist Karsten Ewald. As Moxon’s husband sipped his morning tea from the handmade mug, “he had this kind of epiphany moment,” Moxon says, “and he said, ‘Why have I ever drunk from anything else?’ ” After that, the couple began replacing all of their dishes with handmade pieces of functional art.

“I wouldn’t go back,” Moxon says

collections

Art As An Investment Although few art lovers want to make profit the main goal of art collecting, it’s true that art can be a financial investment. And a lot of the same tips that apply to stocks apply to art: n Research the investment. With art, you need to know the artist. Where is he or she in his or her career? Is the value of his or her work on an upswing? What sorts of recognition has he or she been receiving? n Realize it’s hard to find a deal. Don’t expect to purchase something for far less than it’s worth (we can’t all end up on “The Best Of Antiques Roadshow”). The return comes in with the increase in value over time. With contemporary art, that increase often happens when the artist stops producing work, but it can also happen if the artist goes from unknown to known and celebrated. n Consult with an expert. There’s more to collecting art than just knowing what to purchase when. There are also costs related to insurance, taxes and preservation, and art is not a particularly liquid asset. Art can be a good investment, but collecting profit along with aesthetic pleasure requires a great deal of savvy.

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Boone Hospital Foundation Golf Tournament The Boone Hospital Foundation hosted its annual golf tournament on May 14 at the Club at Old Hawthorne. This year’s tournament had a large turnout despite the hot weather. Proceeds benefited the Boone Hospital Foundation, which helps provide specialized equipment, comfort items and continuing education at Boone Hospital Center.

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1. Andy Ludbrook, Melanie Hoerchler, Brenn Bunn and Chris Schwarz 2. Brent Beshore, Garrett Taylor, Scott Swain and Brad Thielmier 3. Barb Danuser and Tracy Evers 4. J.D. Roberts, Randy Mueller, Larry Scroggins and Julie Miller 5. Bill Woods, Chris Franklin, Dan Pierce and Allen Goree 6. Geralyn Rothery, Mary Beck, Laura Erdel and Jane Rothery 7. John Bailey, Ron Carter, Jim Roller and Greg Steinhoff

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Missouri Orthopaedic Institute Ribbon Cutting Guests filled the atrium at the Missouri Orthopaedic Institute on May 26 for a ribbon cutting and opening ceremony. Operated

by University of Missouri Health Care, the institute provides orthopaedic patients with a full range of care in a single location.

1. Deborah Pasch, James Ross, Harold Williamson Jr., and James Stannard with Chamber of Commerce members 2. The institute is the newest and largest freestanding orthopaedic center in Central Missouri. 3. Robert Churchill and Harold Williamson Jr. 4. James Stannard 5. University orthopaedic surgeons Matthew Smith and Ajay Aggarwal 6. James Stannard and Nancy Fay

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ADVERTISING INDEX Allison, Dant-Allstate............................................................31 Alpine Park & Gardens........................................................ 69 American Family Insurance................................................73 Boone County National Bank............................................... 3 Boone Hospital Center.........................................................23 Breeze....................................................................................... 17 Bright City Lights...................................................................35 The Callaway Bank................................................................ 41 Cancer Research Center......................................................36 Cartridge World.....................................................................37 Central Trust.......................................................................... 68 City of Columbia Water & Light........................................ 15 Coil Construction..................................................................29 Columbia Insurance Group................................................ 80 Columbia Regional Airport.................................................32 Columbia Turf.........................................................................63 CORE....................................................................................... 45 Creative Surroundings..........................................................67 D&M Sound.............................................................................. 2 Dale Carnegie..........................................................................13 David the Salon......................................................................75 Debby Cook Interiors........................................................... 19 Farm Bureau Insurance........................................................ 15 Ford, Parshall & Baker........................................................... 41 Foundation for a Higher Good..............................................9 Gary B. Robinson Jewelers..................................................37 GFI Digital............................................................................... 19 Grizzly Bear Lawn Care........................................................23 Grossmann Promotional Products....................................26 Harper, Evans, Wade & Netemeyer.................................. 15 Hawthorn Bank..................................................................... 84 Inside Columbia’s Culinary Adventure.................................4 Inside Columbia Subscriptions........................................... 20 Jack Maher, Maly...................................................................31 Johnston Paint....................................................................... 20 King, Paul................................................................................ 30 Kleithermes Homes..............................................................78 Landmark Bank......................................................................25 Line-X.......................................................................................32 Lon BrockmeierRaymond James Financial Services...............................65 Loveall RV................................................................................75 Mackenzie’s Prime................................................................ 19 Mail & More............................................................................ 17 MayeCreate........................................................................... 34 Missouri Cotton Exchange..................................................26 Moresource............................................................................ 69 MU Health Care.....................................................................83 Old Hawthorne Plaza...........................................................36 Peachtree Banquet Center..................................................76 Riverview Technologies........................................................ 71 Roast of Senator Kit Bond.....................................................6 Sandler Training.....................................................................73 Sappington’s Carpet Care.................................................. 80 Schuster, BettyPrinciple Financial Group................................................. 71 Shelter Office Plaza................................................................. 5 Sheri Radman.........................................................................38 Smart Business Products.....................................................38 Smith & Moore...................................................................... 20 Southside Liquors..................................................................32 State Farm Insurance............................................................67 Steve Twitchell Productions.................................................13 Stifel Nicholas....................................................................... 30 Suit Yourself............................................................................29 Swan Lake................................................................................76 Tiger Advertising...................................................................63 Tiger Court Reporting...........................................................26 Tradewind Park.......................................................................38 UMB Bank................................................................................ 11 United Country..................................................................... 43 University Club.......................................................................35 Vicky Shy Realty.................................................................... 71 Wobig, Lynn-Allstate............................................................76 Whitworth Law..................................................................... 34 Vintage Falls............................................................................ 17 Wilkerson & Reynolds......................................................... 43 Williams Keepers..................................................................78 80

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PUBLISHER’S NOTE

A WHOLE NEW GAME

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his edition of Inside Columbia’s CEO magazine is built around a strong series of metaphors that relate our city’s growth and economic development to the wild world of sports. Kathy Casteel’s Game Changer on Page 52 provides perhaps the best analysis to date on the impact that IBM’s technology service delivery center will have on the local community. In this issue, you’ll also get an insider’s perspective on rookie Mayor Bob McDavid’s game plan for Columbia during the next few years. These are transitional times for Columbia. Some would say it’s a whole new ball game.

Columbia’s Pitching Slump These are transitional times for our city. The slow erosion of more than 5,000 jobs lost during the last three years was a wake-up call for a city that once clung to the claims of having a recession-proof economy and a quality of life so desirable that it could attract any company without the benefit of economic incentives. A long, painful economic drought forced our city fathers to finally pull their heads out of the sand. Even with the offer of exceptional trails, parks and friendly people, Columbia couldn’t compete against other cities for economic opportunity without offering a comprehensive incentive package of its own.

A New Playbook I believe attitudes began to change when Columbia native and local business leader Greg Steinhoff was appointed Missouri’s Director of Economic Development by then-Gov. Matt Blunt. Steinhoff had a front-row seat on how other Missouri cities were winning major employers.

With cooperation from the city, the

For the first time in more than 20 years, city planners had the tools they needed to play the economic development game.

– Fred Parry university and surrounding communities, a new game plan emerged. For the first time in more than 20 years, city planners had the tools they needed to play the economic development game and, as luck would have it, we won this latest round.

With an incentive package from the state of Missouri and local governments valued at more than $28 million, IBM plans to open shop and hire about 100 employees by the end of this year. By creating 600 to 800 jobs in the $55,000 average salary range by 2012, IBM’s Columbia center could have a $44 million annual payroll. When you consider the economic impact of these payroll dollars turning over multiple times in our local economy, the total impact is staggering.

A Deeper Bench With the promise of more exciting announcements in coming months, Columbia economic development officials aren’t spending much time worrying about their next step. Success builds upon success. Site planners around the world are going to take a closer look at Columbia to see why one of America’s most respected companies is planting its roots in the middle of Missouri.

Though seemingly unrelated, I’ve attended grand opening ceremonies in the past several weeks for Columbia’s new City Hall, the newly refurbished downtown headquarters for Commerce Bank and MU Health Care’s Missouri Orthopaedic Institute. All of these multimillion dollar projects are coming to fruition as

Columbia is slowly climbing out of the worst economic slump most of us have seen in our lifetimes. These developments, on top of the IBM announcement, should be enough to boost the confidence of even the most pessimistic consumer.

Monday Morning Quarterbacks Speaking of pessimism, there’s no way to appease those in the bleachers who object that most of negotiations on the IBM deal weren’t conducted in broad daylight on the steps of City Hall. For most of these detractors, this development represents the sad realization that even though we do have an outstanding quality of life in Columbia, it’s not enough to land a big fish like IBM. To be competitive, we’ll still have to build roads, dig sewers and pave parking lots. That’s just reality. A city either grows or it dies.

Three Cheers for the Home Team Finally, it’s important to acknowledge the yeomen’s work of Columbia’s Regional Economic Development Inc., the Missouri Department of Economic Development and community leaders such as Dave Griggs, who personally invested hundreds of hours of his time to make this deal a reality. We should also be grateful to the partnership of banks, media companies and countless other organizations that rolled out a giant welcome mat for IBM and, in doing so, let the world know that Columbia, Mo., is open for business. They deserve our deepest gratitude.

Go Big Blue!

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CLOSING QUOTES

What Columbia’s Business People And Community Leaders Are Saying “There are probably 20 that I remember, and you don’t want to be on that list.”

— Columbia Mayor Bob McDavid on the memorable but challenging deliveries he recalls as an obstetrician in a medical career that spanned 28 years and the births of some 5,000 babies

“There is too much energy and opportunity in this city to let any of it go untapped. I like to think that we are a city of solutions for employers and entrepreneurs, both homegrown and otherwise.”

— Columbia City Manager Bill Watkins in his State of The City address on June 2

“This is about the no-brainerest deal ever put together.”

— REDI chairman Dave Griggs on the positive impact of IBM locating a technology service delivery center in Columbia

“We’re not shutting our ears to anything.”

— University of Missouri Chancellor Brady Deaton at a Big 12 presidents meeting in June on the possibility that Missouri will defect to the Big Ten conference

“No one should see this as anything other than testimony to the wisdom of IBM’s decision to open a global services technology center in Dubuque. This is testimony that the Dubuque facility is hitting on all cylinders.”

— Rick Dickinson, executive director of the Greater Dubuque Development Corp., on why Dubuque, Iowa, deserves some credit for making Midwestern cities such as Columbia attractive to IBM

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“A home run for mid-Missouri and, quite frankly, for the entire Show-Me State.”

— Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon on Columbia’s landing of the IBM technology service delivery center

Inside Columbia’s ceo OutFront Communications, LLC 301 W. Broadway Columbia, MO 65203

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