Business Journal Fall

Fall 2016

Manufacturing Day Takes Students to New Heights

Stockyards Companies Shine

Daily’s Premium Meats and HPB-St. Joe Biodiesel Open National Beef Leathers Completes Major Renovations

St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

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Fall 2016

Healthy St. Joseph Program Launches to Address Employee Wellness Check out these programs at Missouri Western State University

The 2016 Healthy Workforce Summit marked the announcement of a brand new Chamber program, Healthy St. Joseph.

Community members gathered Nov. 3 at Missouri Western State University to hear Alida Moonen, board president of the National Wellness Institute. Moonen brought expertise on wellness in the workplace, especially for those just starting out.

Moonen emphasized the importance of asking employees what wellness is to them, stating that for some it may be reading nutrition labels, while others may be focused on financial or spiritual wellness. A successful wellness program focuses on making employees feel good and most importantly, have fun.

The Chamber hopes its program can do just that. Adding a little competition and recognition for employers that are taking the time and money to make their employees enjoy life just a little bit more.

Healthy St. Joseph is a certification process in which companies will be awarded Gold, Silver, Bronze, or Honorable Mention based on scores from the workplace wellness application. The application is focused around four key pillars of health: nutrition, physical activity, smoking cessation and work-life integration.

For a human resources representative, the application should only take about 10 to 15 minutes to

complete.

The first round of applications are due Feb. 1, 2017, but Chamber staff let the audience know that if a company isn’t satisfied with its first score, officials may make changes to its wellness program and re-apply by March 1, 2017.

The Chamber hopes that employers of all sizes will apply to become a Healthy St. Joseph Certified Workplace. Representatives stated that, if anything, the application gives a good place to start and fresh ideas for a current wellness program.

“Healthy St. Joseph is promoting the wellbeing of the St. Joseph workforce at a time when national health rankings show a decline in the overall health of citizens,” said Kristie Arthur, Director of Workforce Development for the Chamber. “It’s our goal for this regional health and wellness certification program to recognize area organizations for innovation and excellence in promoting a culture of health in the workplace.”

Apply today at saintjoseph.com/ healthy-st-joseph.

“Applications are open for every company, big or small,” Arthur said.

“If your wellness program isn’t where you want it to be, we will help you get there.”

The program is sponsored in part by Healthy Partnerships (a partnership of Heartland Foundation, Mosaic Life Care, and North Kansas City Hospital).

Bachelor of Science in Population Health The University now offers a Bachelor of Science in Population Health Management, one of the few undergraduate programs in this field in the country. Population health is an approach to health care that steps beyond the individual-level focus of traditional clinical and preventive medicine by addressing a broad range of factors that impact health on a population level.

For more information, contact: Fiona Sansone ’94 missouriwestern.edu/populationhealth School of Nursing (816) 271-4415 & Health Professions pophealth@missourwestern.edu Murphy Hall

Masters of Information Management in Enterprise Resource Planning The Masters of Information Management in Enterprise Resource Planning prepares graduates to work in an ERP environment in the business world and uses SAP software. Beginning spring 2017, classes will also be offered at Missouri Western’s Northland campus.

For more information, contact: Dr. Peggy Lane missouriwestern.edu/business Craig School of Business (816) 271-5832 Popplewell Hall plane3@missouriwestern.edu

Master of Business Administration An MBA program will begin in fall 2017. Currently, there are three concentrations with a fourth awaiting approval: forensic accounting, enterprise resource planning, and animal and life sciences.

For more information, contact: Dr. Logan Jones missouriwestern.edu/business Craig School of Business (816) 271-4351 Popplewell Hall jjones81@missouriwestern.edu

For information about any of Missouri Western’s 17 masters programs and seven graduate certificates, contact: MWSU Graduate School Popplewell Hall missouriwestern.edu/graduate graduate@missouriwestern.edu (816) 271-4394

Begin your path to career advancement today!

Missouri Western is an equal opportunity institution.

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St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

BUSINESS JOURNAL INDEX Healthy St. Joseph Program Launches..........................................................2 HPB-St. Joe Biodiesel Opens, Employs 50 in Stockyards Turnaround Story...4 Economic Update..........................................................................................5 Tonisity Makes Pig Protein Drinks, Makes Splash in Animal Health Industry..7 Repairing of Missouri River Levees Underway..............................................8 Member Profile: Wing Printing .....................................................................9

a publication of the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. Published nov. 12, 2016

Downtown Digest.......................................................................................10 MERIL’S Wellness Program Honored at National Forum..............................11 Small Business Matters................................................................................12 National Beef Leathers Completes Renovations..........................................13 Shop St. Joseph Kicks Off its 10th Year.......................................................14 You’ve Come a Long Way, Kelly Girl......................................................15

2016 St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chairman

Chair-Elect

Secretary/Treasurer

President/CEO

Directors Stet Schanze Gray Manufacturing Co. Inc. Scott Albers, Nor-Am Ice & Cold Storage Brian Bradley, St. Joseph News-Press Tom Burke, KCP&L Corky Marquart Barbara Burns, B.J. Office Products Inc. Commerce Bank lSarah DeGarmo, Rise by Design Dr. Bernd Eichenmueller, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. Matt Robertson Patti Eiman, First American Title CliftonLarsonAllen Bill Falkner, City of St. Joseph Tim Knapp, Tim Knapp Construction Co. R. Patt Lilly Dr. Mark Laney, Mosaic Life Care St. Joseph Chamber Ronan Molloy, Innovation Stockyard of Commerce

Dr. Robert Newhart, School District of St. Joseph Tom Richmond, Altec Industries, Inc. Harry Roberts, Buchanan County J.L. Robertson, Rupp Funeral Home Col. Ralph Schwader, 139th Airlift Wing, Mo. Air National Guard Kylee Strough, United Way of Greater St. Joseph Martial Thevenot, Perka Building Frames by Business Logistics, Inc. Dr. Robert Vartabedian, Missouri Western State University Mark Woodbury, General Counsel, Polsinelli Todd Meierhoffer, Past Chair, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory Brett Esely Diplomats Club Representative, Missouri Western State University Athletics Jodi Bloemker, LEAD Representative, United Way of Greater St. Joseph

STAFF

3003 Frederick ave.

816.232.4461 or 800.748.7856 Kristie Arthur

Director of Workforce Development arthur@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4113

Shannon Jobes

Vice President, Administration jobes@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4111

Kristi Bailey

Director of Communications & Marketing bailey@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4108

Steve Johnston

Director of Community Alliance of Saint Joseph johnston@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4109

Valerie Brandt

Executive Assistant, Receptionist brandt@saintjoseph.com 816.232.4461

Brad Lau

Vice President, Economic Development blau@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4110

Mary Brown

Programs Coordinator brown@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4102

R. Patt Lilly

President & CEO plilly@saintjoseph.com 816.232.4485

Jessica Jackson

Membership Specialist jackson@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4103

Natalie Redmond

Vice President, Membership redmond@saintjoseph.com 816.364.4107

816.364.4873 (fax) www.saintjoseph.com

St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

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Fall 2016

HPB-St. Joe BioDiesel Opens, Employs 50 in Stockyards Turnaround Story New Company Purchased Former Blue Sun BioDiesel Facility, Made Improvements to Bring Location Back to Life About 100 members of the St. Joseph agribusiness community came together on Oct. 17 to celebrate the grand opening of HPB-St. Joe BioDiesel, a new addition to the Stockyards Industrial Area that employs 50 people.

HPB-St. Joe BioDiesel, a subsidiary of Seaboard, purchased the former Blue Sun BioDiesel facility.

Blue Sun had closed its doors and the plant was purchased out of bankruptcy. HPB has made significant improvements to the efficiency of the plant, as well as cosmetic improvements.

The Chamber was instrumental in facilitating productive discussions between HPB and the City of St. Joseph to address wastewater issues that permitted the facility to meet its start-up production goal.

Buchanan County provided $35,000 in forgivable economic development loan funds to provide training opportunities for new employees. The facility also is eligible for the City of St. Joseph enhanced enterprise zone.

HPB-St. Joe BioDiesel has created 50 new jobs with an average annual wage of $51,600 plus benefits.

Gary Lewis, Executive Vice President of Seaboard, said that the company decided to get involved in the biodiesel business to become a more integrated company. It opened its first biodiesel plant in Guymon, Oklahoma, in 2008.

“This opportunity came up with Blue Sun and we had an excellent team in Guymon and we wanted to capitalize on that,” he said.

Mel Davis, of Seaboard, said the deal to purchase Blue Sun’s property closed on June 26 and they had no employees at that time. In 90 days, a combination of former Blue Sun employees and new employees were able to produce the first gallon of biodiesel.

Biodiesel is made of animal fat and vegetable oils and works well in diesel engines and is a great fuel additive, said Bill Patrick, Senior Director of Operations over the St. Joseph and Guymon plants.

Business and community leaders cut the ribbon for HPB-St. Joe BioDiesel on Oct. 17 in the Stockyards Industrial Area.

“The effort we’ve put forth is tremendous,” Patrick said. “Our goal is to produce as many gallons of biodiesel as possible.”

While animal fat from Daily’s Premium Meats and Triumph Foods and their St. Joseph location are definitely positives for biodiesel production, the mixture that is made

here will consist of more corn oil than what is made in the Guymon plant. This mixture will be able to be sold to customers all year long, where the animal fat mixture has some difficulties in certain climates, Lewis said.

Daily’s Premium Meats Celebrates Grand Opening Daily’s Premium Meats, a meat processing company specializing in “sliced-to-order” naturally smoked bacon, held its grand opening ceremony on Sept. 9.

Daily’s expects to hire 212 employees during its first five years of operations.

The company announced the building of its 100,000 square foot facility, which is built to add more production capabilities and more employees in the future, in March of 2015.

Kelly Hattan, Daily’s President, and R. Patt Lilly, St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce President, spoke at the Daily’s Premium Meats held a grand opening ceremony on Sept. 9, giving the business community and the media a taste of its business.

event. Lilly discussed the revitalization of the Stockyards, which started with Triumph Foods and includes numerous additions and expansions of additional companies, Daily’s included.

Those who attended saw a virtual tour of the plant and how bacon is made via video.

St. Joseph makes the third plant for the company, which also has locations in Missoula, Montana and Salt Lake City.

There are three smokehouses on site, smoking 257,000 pounds of meat daily.

“We’re going to be opening more markets in the Midwest,” Hattan said.

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St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

Top 10 Employers Mosaic Life Care Triumph Foods, LLC School District of St. Joseph 139th Airlift Wing Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc. Missouri Western State University American Family Insurance City of St. Joseph Wal-Mart Johnson Controls

Health Services Meat Products Education Government Animal Pharmaceuticals

3,471 2,767 2,047 1,494 1,100

Education Insurance Government Department Store Manufacturing

820 778 751 740 675

Demographics

www.choosestjoseph.com

Unemployment

(Sept.)

Population Housing units

76,780 32,495

St. Joseph Missouri

4.3 percent 5.2 percent

Average family size

3

United States

5.0 percent

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Tonisity Makes Protein Drink for Pigs, Big Splash in Animal Health Industry Protein drinks are popular for the health conscious these days. People drink them regularly to help develop muscle and lose fat, but a new St. Joseph company has developed a protein drink for pigs that has made a splash in the animal health industry.

Tonisity, Inc., which opened its office in St. Joseph earlier this year, debuted Tonisity Px in June of 2016 at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines.

“Our goal is to help keep the animal alive,” said Bill Barr, Director of Sales for North America. “The first week of a pig’s life is very stressful.

From day two of life Px concentrates on gut health, which leads to better health and eating and drinking well.

Px is not a short-term fix, it has a lifelong effect.”

A tremendous amount of work went into developing the idea of a protein drink for animals, which was initially thought by creators in Europe to be used in the companion animal (pet) industry. As discussions and testing moved forward, the idea of using it in animal production caused Tonisity to be a stand-alone company.

Finding a taste profile that swine will drink, and even crave, was a major accomplishment that has helped the company grow quickly.

The drink is developed and manufactured in Northern Ireland.

During the last two years more than 27 trials involving 760 litters and 9,600 pigs have shown success, necessitating sales and marketing

office to be opened in the U.S. “We know what we do,” Barr said, citing a scientific summary of how Px works to decrease preweaning mortality and increase weight in pigs.

Barr has a long history of being involved in the animal health industry, with previous work experience AgriLabs and as a consultant to many New St. Joseph animal health company Tonisity celebrated the grand opening of its office this fall. other animal health work ethic and knowledge. They helping pigs survive to maturity. companies. have a true understanding of what As the use of antibiotics in food “When Px debuted it was just the food animal production really is, not production decreases because of investors and me as a contractor,” just from a book, but from their real public perception issues, protein Barr said. “This (an office of 10 world experience.” drinks answers a need in the industry. employees) has all come together There was also benefit from a “This is a tool they don’t have since March.” financial perspective. right now,” Barr said.

When deciding where to locate “There’s more efficiency to being Animal producers in the United the sales and marketing office for this here from a cost point,” Barr said.

States, South Africa, Brazil, and global company, St. Joseph was the “There’s no need to overpay for office all European nations are already right choice. space in the city or for housing for customers.

“We did consider Kansas City, but Developers are looking to expand in Kansas City you pay more for less,” our employees. We fly regularly to Europe and St. Joseph is very close its product line to other species. he said. “We have all the access to to KCI.” “We haven’t had a trial that hasn’t the good things they bring, but here On Nov. 15, Tonisity Px will be seen a positive result,” Barr said. we have more access to employees featured at EuroTier in Hannover, Future production sites in the U.S. who have a strong connection to Germany. and particularly this region, are a the ag industry. There’s Savannah, Protein drinks for pigs offers possibility, he said.

Mound City and so many other local communities we can tap into for their producers a healthy option for

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St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

Fall 2016

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Repairing Missouri River Levees, Protecting Industrial & Military Jobs, Underway Years of planning, pleading and perseverance came to fruition Nov. 3 at a groundbreaking ceremony for the first phase of the Missouri River Levee System Project.

“I love it when a plan comes together,” said Sen. Rob Schaaf.

The city of St. Joseph, along with Buchanan County and the United States Army Corps of Engineers, hosted the event. Voter approved in August, this very important $70 million project, once completed, will help protect our 139th Airlift Wing, thousands of jobs, and $2 billion in public and private assets in the protected areas of the federal levees.

Schaaf described the process as getting hundreds of thousands of dominoes pushed over, starting with St. Joseph resident Ken Reeder convincing him to take the project to heart and ending with the Gov. Nixon releasing funds.

“Thank you to the Chamber of Commerce for leading the monumental task of getting voters to approve the sales tax,” Schaaf said.

“And thank you to the people of St. Joseph for approving this critical project” Funding for the $70 million project is through 65 percent federal

allocation, along with $5 million from the state, approximately $8 million from the city, county and levee districts, and the remaining $11 million from the ¼-cent sales tax approved by Buchanan County voters.

Bob Wollenman, who chaired the Save St. Joe Jobs campaign said he knew it was important to educate voters about the 6,000 jobs that the federal levee protects when water rises, and what could be devastated if the levees weren’t repaired and enhanced. He said receiving 77 percent approval for a tax showed how much the community supports its workers and Air Guard.

Community leaders gathered on Nov. 3 to celebrate the groundbreaking for the “It’s fun to see the shovels turn Missouri River Levee System Project. The location was near the northeast corner of the dirt and make this a reality,” Browning Lake at the entrance of the Arthur DuPree Conservation area.

Wollenman said.

The first phase will completely by a lot of people,” said R. Patt Lilly, fixing the levees will stand out. replace the gatewell and drainage President and CEO of the St. Joseph “This is the No. 1 project that I’ve pipe that serves interior drainage Chamber of Commerce. “It requires worked on in my terms as mayor,” for Rosecrans Memorial Airport and focus and stamina by the community he said. “It shows what can happen nearby areas. This phase is expected and is already stimulating investment when everyone works together.” to be completed by October 2017. on both sides of the river. We owe a Craig Weltig, Civil Works Project As part of this first phase, the final debt of gratitude to the businesses in Manager, said that this is one of design of all remaining phases will be town that made it possible to run a the largest flood risk projects in the completed to ensure consistency. successful campaign.”

Kansas City area.

“Getting this project underway Mayor Bill Falkner said that when took a lot of effort and coordination he looks back at his legacy as mayor,

300 Local Students, 7 Companies Participate in Manufacturing Day National Manufacturing Day on Friday, Oct. 7, recognized the contributions and advancements that are made possible through manufacturing companies throughout the United States. This year, cities around the nation, including St. Joseph, hosted more than 800 events simultaneously to put a new spotlight on careers in the manufacturing sector.

St. Joseph offered the most Manufacturing Day events in a regional hub for the state of Missouri and was second only to St. Louis in total number of events. More than 300 students toured various facilities.

Altec Industries, Gray

Manufacturing, Herzog Contracting Corp., Bluetree Casework, Van-Am Tool & Engineering, LLC, Nor-Am Cold Storage and Snorkel offered facility tours and presentations.

“Promoting these local Manufacturing Day events is a crucial step in the process of assisting St. Joseph’s up and coming workforce to find fulfilling careers that they might not otherwise have considered,” said R. Patt Lilly, President and CEO, St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce.

“Our local manufacturers are always looking for talented, motivated individuals to help them reach company goals, and Manufacturing Day is helping them achieve just that.

A student from Hillyard Technical Center talks with a Snorkel employee about how to operate a lift during Manufacturing Day.

St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

MemberProfile (816) 279-4903

413 S. Fourth St. St. Joseph, MO 64501

www.wingprinting.com Printers, Signs/Banners

St. Joseph is a very historic and agricultural-based city. One company that ties history and an agriculture service together is Wing Printing Co. Founded in 1912, Logan Wing Sr. worked on a farm during the day and printed at night. “One of my great grandfather’s main projects was a cattle catalogue,� said Keith Wing, Vice President of Wing Printing today.

The company is in its fourth generation of Wing family members, printing for the needs of the agriculture industry and many others.

Logan passed the business on to his son Kenneth, and his wife Mary, who passed it on to their son Roger, and his wife Mary. Roger remains the president of the company and works hard every day, his son said.

When asked how it feels to be a part of such a longstanding familyowned business, Keith said, “It feels like a lot of responsibility. So many businesses don’t make it past a second or third generation. I don’t want to be the one to fail.�

Keith, just like his father and grandfather, grew up coming to the print shop. He said he’s worked in every job function possible from deliveries, office work, design and running the press. “When I was a kid they were still doing the letter press with hot lead,� he said. “They were transitioning to

negatives at that time.�

A lot of things have changed in the industry. Wing Printing once employed 13 people but now has just four full-time staff members. And it isn’t because of a lack of work.

Technology upgrades in the printing industry and business’ ability and desire to print more things in house has lessened the need for a large staff. Online software that has made design easier for the everyday person has also decreased the need for a full-time design staff.

But Wing Printing still keeps very busy providing businesses and individuals a wide range of printing services from stationary, fliers and booklets to yard signs, fine art canvas prints and pop-up banners. Wing also does lightboxes/backlight signage and has direct mail technology to help customers target consumers by age, race, sex, etc., and print personalized messages. The list of printing capabilities goes on and on. “At the end of the day, I enjoy what I do,� Keith said. Being able to keep the family traditions of printing and raising kids in the business is a perk of the job. He said his 5 and 1 year old children are with him every day.

It’s too soon to tell if a fifth generation of Wings will take over the business, he joked.

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Fall 2016

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DowntownDigest

Information and photos provided by the St. Joseph Downtown Partnership

Social Parlor and will now have more seating for Geneo’s, TVs, pool tables and a video game area. The area that currently has the bar for the establishment will now be available for private parties or overflow seating.

The historic bar will be moved to the newly renovated space. The business plans to close between Christmas and New Year’s Day to allow for the re-configuration of space and construction work. The kitchen of the restaurant will also be expanded to expedite food service. The total project is expected to be complete by February 2017.

Geneo’s Pizza and Pub is locally owned and operated. For more information or to order call 816-2324000.

Parking Projects Progress The lots are looking good for future parking in downtown.

The first phase of the lot at Seventh and Edmond streets is almost complete. Crews will be applying the first round of asphalt and the lot will be open soon. The lot will be open to the public and for events at the Missouri Theater. In the spring, the lot will be closed again for the second phase of construction. When the new Mosaic employees move in downtown, the lot will be used for their parking needs during the day and open after hours for the convenience of Missouri Theater patrons and other downtown businesses.

The former city parking garage at Ninth and Felix streets has been demolished. Crews are finishing up clearing the lot and construction on the new parking garage will commence after it is cleared. The new parking facility will contain 300 parking spaces. The use of the spaces will be for Mosaic employees and downtown patrons. The first level of the structure will be three retail spaces. Negotiations are underway to have downtown’s first grocery in the building. This is an objective that downtown residents have requested for many years.

There is lots of construction going on downtown right now. Come down and see the great progress that we are experiencing.

Geneo’s Pizza and Pub Releases Expansion Plans Downtown’s most popular pizza and pasta restaurant is expanding.

The owners of Geneo’s Pizza and Pub, David and Melissa Palmer, have purchased the adjacent building to their restaurant to approximately double the size of their business.

The building was formally the

New CVB Building Planned

Top: The former city parking garage at Ninth and Felix streets has been demolished to make way for a new parking facility and retail spaces. Middle: The lot at Seventh and Edmond streets (across from the Missouri Theater) will be used for Mosaic employees during the day and for downtown events at night.

Bottom: The new Convention and Visitors Bureau building will look like this.

The St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau knows how important visibility and accessibility is to the visitors of St. Joseph, and with the construction of a new bureau facility, it will be prominently featured at the entrance to an ever-changing downtown.

“It is much more visible than where we are now. We’ve been in our current location for 23 years and it’s served us well. The new location will be right across from the Pony Express Statue at 911 Frederick Ave.,” said Marci Bennett, Executive Director of the St. Joseph CVB. The new building will be about 4,800 square feet, which is only slightly smaller than the CVB’s current office, and Bennett said its layout will be better for visitors and employees.

“We’ve added public restrooms, more handicap accessibility and there’s a large boardroom that will face the Pony Express statue, which is something that the community can utilize. We also plan to have additional exhibit and display cases in our building, to feature some of the wonderful aspects of our city.”

The CVB has a downtown staff of eight full-time employees. The new space will allow the ability to host more educational seminars and meetings in a more convenient location.

“Right now, our board room is a smaller room on the third floor of our building, and limits us to what we can host at our offices,” Bennett added.

The bureau hosts four Show-Me St. Joseph workshops a year, during

which they educate new residents, front line hotel staff, new museum staff and others on the attractions in St. Joseph and the importance of proper customer service. The CVB also has a strong sports, convention and group-tour market, and the new facility will be more conducive to meeting with convention and group tour planners.

Construction on the new facility should begin in November, with

MERIL’s Wellness Program Honored at National Forum The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) presented Midland Empire Resources for Independent Living’s (MERIL) workplace wellness program at a national health forum in Atlanta in September.

The Health Enhancement Research Organization (HERO) conference featured MERIL’s Wellness 4U program, which was created to increase the overall wellness of MERIL employees and members of the community. Dr. Dyann Matson Koffman, a health scientist at the CDC, presented the program at the forum on behalf of Deann Young, the chief human resources officer at MERIL. “We were excited to be selected to talk about our wellness initiatives at the HERO forum,” Young said.

“It was a great opportunity to share the lessons we have learned from designing and carrying out our wellness activities, as well as to learn about the strategies other wellness programs have found to be successful.”

MERIL’s wellness program includes activities for healthy eating, regular exercise, social connection, and raising awareness of health issues. In 2013, MERIL was selected to participate in the CDC’s

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National Healthy Worksite Program, which allowed the organization to collaborate with the CDC to develop and evaluate its wellness program.

As a center for independent living, more than half of MERIL’s employees are individuals with a disability.

Maria Brandt, a leader on MERIL’s wellness committee, said it is important for wellness information to address the specific challenges faced by those who have a disability and those who are aging.

“Through many successes – and a few setbacks – we have learned how to present information to our employees and community members and how to design programs for them in ways that will keep them motivated and engaged in making healthy decisions,” Brandt said. “That’s our goal with our wellness program, and it’s an important part of our commitment to independent living in Northwest Missouri.”

The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce and the Healthy Workforce Summit were mentioned in the presentation.

More information about MERIL and its resources is available on www. meril.org and at 816-279-8558.

hopes of being open at the end of next summer.

Brioche to Open Soon Downtown is a haven of unique food options, all locally owned and operated. Downtown’s newest restaurant and bakery, Brioche will be opening soon. Brioche will be a French bakery, owned and operated

by Chef Vincent Daunay and his wife,

Julie. The bakery will feature cakes, cookies, breads and much more.

Open for breakfast and lunch at 114 N Seventh St., the café will feature items made fresh with all natural ingredients. Some of the selections will include: crepes & croissants, artisan sandwiches, salads and soups and daily chef specials. For more information call (816) 901-9202.

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St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

Fall 2016

Disruptive Innovation According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary the term innovation means a new idea, device or method. Most of us are familiar with innovation as new technologies present changes to our environment practically on a daily basis. But, there is something called disruptive innovation that completely changes our world as we know it.

So, what is meant by the term “disruptive innovation?” According to Clayton Christensen who coined the term, it describes a process by which a product or service takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and then relentlessly moves up market, eventually displacing established competitors. A few examples of this include the personal printer, which disrupted Xerox making printing affordable to the masses, and cell phones which traditional telephone lines that are now nearing extinction by residential consumers.

Disruptive innovation is vital to the success of our economy. It’s what propels our country ahead of others, gives us a competitive advantage, making life easier, more convenient, and more accessible.

According to a study completed

by Praxis Strategy Group on behalf of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, innovation drives

economic growth. This is one of the most consistent findings in macroeconomics, and it’s been true for centuries. Economists have calculated that approximately 50 percent of U.S. annual GDP growth is attributed to increases in innovation.

The study goes on to say that while there was a time when state economic development programs focused only on implementing bigdollar tax incentives and recruiting huge employers from other states or countries, in recent years, growing from within by supporting expanding young employers and assisting new startups has become a stronger, if not the primary focus of job-creation efforts. If this is true, are we following suit in Northwest Missouri?

Fortunately, the answer is yes.

There are several programs available to assist startups as well as businesses that are growing and expanding.

The state of Missouri offers a small business loan program with a super low interest rate of 3 percent for up to $50,000 for businesses with fewer than 15 employees. The state also offers payroll offsets for businesses that hire specific individuals in need of employment. And, the Missouri Technology Corporation offers seed funding for emerging science and technologies.

Additionally, the state supports

The Small Business & Technology Development Center (SBTDC) is located inside the St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce. You do not need to be a member of the Chamber to receive services. The SBTDC can complete a walk-through of your business to determine if there are any wastes that are causing your operation to run inefficiently and what can be done to correct those situations. All services performed by the SBTDC are pre-paid by the Small Business Administration, so there is never a charge to the business.

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SmallBusinessMatters

several innovation centers and business incubators throughout Missouri to help startups grow and prosper. Innovation centers are locations that offer multiple resources under one roof, such as mentoring, state-of-the-art facilities and labs, access to university students and staff, financing possibilities, and more. The Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Northwest Missouri State University is one such innovation center that was ranked #21 out of all innovation centers world-wide (not just in the U.S.).

It also supports a Missouri Small Business & Technology Development Center, which offers free business consulting to anyone in Northwest Missouri.

Your local chambers of

commerce are also an excellent resource. They reach out to existing businesses to help understand their needs, as well as to supply advocacy and assistance for them to grow.

They don’t just reach out to the large companies, but spend a great deal of time with the smaller companies that make up the bulk of our economy.

What’s important to understand from this article is that there are abundant resources available to smaller businesses and startups that are trying to be disruptive innovators.

The state of Missouri, as well as your local economic developers want to see you and your business succeed!

Reach out to some of these resources and maybe your innovative idea could truly become something that will change the world as we know it.

Rebecca Lobina, Six Sigma Green Belt Regional Director Small Business & Technology Development Center NWMSU (816) 364-4105, lobina@nwmissouri.edu

The website, a Chamber project, provides a wealth of information about a variety of subjects that affect your small business. Most articles are offered from local experts and Chamber members.

With the Small Business Resource Center, you have combined years of experience, proven strategies, and knowledge for success at your fingertips.

It is presented by American Family Insurance.

stjosephsmallbusiness.com

St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

13

Fall 2016

National Beef Leathers Completes Renovations, Becomes Top Wet-Blue Facility National Beef Leathers LLC has been in a long process of updating its facility and the efforts have made the St. Joseph employer the largest, most technologically advanced wet-blue facility in the world.

National Beef Leathers LLC is a wholly-owned subsidiary of National Beef Packing Company, LLC. National Beef Leathers produces consistent, high-quality wet-blue hides and is a premier supplier of leather to the athletic shoe industry.

Leather processed at National Beef’s St. Joseph facility also is used in automobile upholstery and home furniture.

National Beef has just completed a four-and-a-half year renovation and retrofit of its 154,000 square foot wet blue tanning facility. The investment was estimated at $50 million in 2013.

This new facility has a capacity to process more than 60,000 wet blue hides per week. Systemwide automation and new stateof-the-art equipment additions have substantially improved the efficiency of production and product consistency.

Beyond major renovations, in a continuous effort to meet demands in an ever changing wet blue industry it has finished up a state-of-the-art hair removal system that supports environmental and quality aspects of

manufacturing wet blue leather. This undertaking was approximately one year in development and was just commissioned in September.

This change will continue to advance National Beef Leathers’ quality aspects to meet global requirements.

The business has a long history in St. Joseph, first known as Blueside Companies and then Prime Tanning, St. Joseph workers have been turning cattle hides into fine leather since 1972. Because St. Joseph was a hub for livestock sales and processing, with the St. Joseph Stockyards forming in the late 1800s, it was only natural for entrepreneurs to manufacture leather. Blueside implemented the wet blue leather process, which uses chrome that actually turns the leather blue.

The plant is able to handle the production increase in large part because of its parent company, National Beef. National Beef is a beef processor that is the fourth-largest supplier of cattle hides in the nation.

Adding value to products in the supply chain is a hallmark of National Beef’s business philosophy and has been their focus as their business has grown in the past 10-15 years. Cattle hides are transported from National Beef’s facilities in Southwest Kansas to St. Joseph to go through the wet blue process.

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St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

14

Fall 2016

Shop St. Joseph Kicks Off 10th Year of Giving $10,000 Prize The St. Joseph Chamber of Commerce will conduct its 10th annual Shop St. Joseph Holiday Program. This year the program is presented by the St. Joseph News-Press.

The campaign encourages customer loyalty, retains sales revenue for participating businesses and raises public awareness of retail products that are available in St. Joseph during the

AUTO

FLORISTS

holidays.

Merchants give tickets to customers (one free, others based on amount spent). At the end of the program, one lucky shopper wins $10,000. Shoppers can also win prizes from merchants.

Each year participating businesses give out thousands of tickets. This year’s program kicked off Wednesday, Nov. 9, and will conclude on Dec. 19. The prize

MISCELLANEOUS

Castrol Premium Lube Express 3302 Pear St.

Butchart Flowers, Inc. 3321 S. Belt Highway

Goin’ Postal 3831 Frederick Ave.

House of Sound 1112 S. Belt Highway

St. Joseph Hy-Vee Flowers by Rob 5005 Frederick Ave. (Meierhoffer Funeral Home)

Merry Maids 1006 Pacific Street

Mark’s Tire & Automotive 1208 N. Sixth St.

FOOD RETAIL

Move It with M&S LLC 415 N. Third St., #506

Summers Motors 510 N. Belt Highway

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels East Hills Shopping Center

St. Jo Frontier Casino 777 Winners Circle

T.B.A. and Service LLC 405 S. 36th St.

Country Cookie 206 S. Belt Highway

Schneitter Fireworks 12801 County Road 352, Exit 53 off of I-29

BEAUTY SALONS BeautyFirst Professional Products & Salon 3833 Frederick Blvd.

Kevin’s Nails & Spa 5107 N. Belt Highway, Ste. 111 Loox 214 S. Belt Highway Mastercuts East Hills Shopping Center Regis Salon East Hills Shopping Center

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS Goetz Credit Union 1905 Howard St. HNB Bank 1602 S. Riverside Road 6102 N. Belt Highway 301 W. Main St., Savannah, MO United Consumers Credit Union 724 N. Belt Highway

Hickory Farms East Hills Shopping Center Topsy’s Popcorn East Hills Shopping Center Windy Wine Company 9478 S.W. State Highway J, Osborn, MO

FURNITURE Colony House Furniture & Bedding Frederick Boulevard & Riverside Road

GROCERY STORES Hy-Vee St. Joseph 201 N. Belt Highway Ray’s Green Hills 3225 N. Belt Highway

JEWELRY Creviston & Son Jewelry 510 N. Belt Highway Kay Jewelers East Hills Shopping Center Niche of Time Jewelry 2221 N. Belt Highway, Suite C Zales East Hills Shopping Center

drawing will be on Dec. 20.

Check the Chamber’s website, www.saintjoseph.com, the St. Joseph News-Press, Q Country 92.7, FOX KNPN 26 or KQTV for the winning number.

The following list is as of Nov. 9. Other merchants may have been added. For a complete list go to www.saintjoseph. com.

Planet Sub 5301 N. Belt Highway, Ste. 115

Fit Republic 1331 S. Belt Highway

Pronto Cafe 2513 Frederick Ave.

Gypsy’s Jewelry & Gifts 3302 Mitchell Ave.

Texas Roadhouse 925 N. Belt Highway Whiskey Creek 4106 Frederick Ave.

RETAIL

Hillcrest Thirft Shoppe 4826 Frederick Ave. Hunterland Antique Mall 3201 S. Belt Highway Jamie’s Secret Garden 811 N. Woodbine Road

Books Revisited 1908 B N. Belt Highway

Jesse James Antique Mall & Rusty Chandelier Exit 53 at Interstate 29 & Highway 71

Brown Shoe Fit St. Joseph 1403 N. Belt Highway

The Lucky Tiger 718 Francis St.

Cutting Edge Supplements 3714 N. Belt Highway

Mod Podge 624 Francis St.

East Hills Shopping Center, 3702 Frederick Ave.

Moffet Nurseries, Inc. 6451 State Route 6 N.E. Nesting Goods 817 Francis St.

Lino’s Original Pizza East Hills Shopping Center,

Bath and Body Works Best Buy Mobile The Buckle Charlotte Russe Charming Charlie The Children’s Place Christopher & CJ Banks Claire’s Dillards Family Christian Book, Gifts and Music Go Calendars!

Go Games & Toys!

J.C. Penney Journeys Leibowitz Fine Menswear Maurices Off Broadway Shoe Warehouse Party City Piercing Pagoda Pony Express Sports and More Rally House Rue 21 Sears Spencer’s Gifts Stitches Alterations The Sweet Spot

Pappy’s Grill & Pub 2501 Messanie St.

Eckard’s Home Improvement 2402 N. Belt Highway

St. Joseph News-Press Circulation 825 Edmond St. Title Boxing Club 139 N. Belt Highway, Ste. M. Quality Hearing & Audiology Center 2227 N. Belt Highway Weaver Overhead Door 2324 Locust Street

Optical Dr. Rosenak’s Optical Options 2229 A N. Belt Highway Vision Works East Hills Shopping Center

RESTAURANTS Five Guys 3700 Frederick Ave. Fredrick Inn Steakhouse 1627 Frederick Ave.

PBE’s Toys and Dolls 2241 N. Belt Highway (Woodlawn Shopping Center) St. Joe Boot Co. 3749 Pacific St. St. Joe Harley-Davidson 4020 S. Highway 169 St. Joseph Auction & Antique Mart 3600 S. Leonard Road Stetson Outlet Store 3601 South Leonard UPCO 3705 Pear Street Wild Layne Boutique 3500 N. Village Drive, #220 (Historic Green Acres Building)

St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

15

Fall 2016

You’ve Come a Long Way, Kelly Girl! Kelly Services Celebrates 70 Years Submitted by Kelly Services technical, and light industrial services had been added, and a greater number of men were being employed by the company in all service sectors.

As the industry and the workforce diversified and evolved, so did the services the company offered and the image of Kelly employees.

In 1966 the company became Kelly Services, Inc., a name that would more accurately cover a variety of services as the company continued to evolve.

Today, Kelly Services is a leading global workforce solutions company offering a wide range of professional and technical job opportunities to people in nearly every industry and discipline. From the lab to the engineering department to the data center to the medical facility, Kelly helps even the most skilled professionals find meaningful work at the world’s leading companies. In

fact, there are more Kelly employees working around you than you might think.

Annually, Kelly engineering employees work more than 9 million hours, Kelly scientific employees work more than 9.5 million hours, and Kelly office employees work more than 34 million hours.

Leading the way and standing out from the crowd, Kelly Services has come through the decades with a well-earned reputation for service excellence and innovative workforce solutions. The Kelly Girl brand will always be an integral part of the company’s heritage; because the Kelly employee in the early years and the Kelly professional today are strikingly similar, helping companies achieve their goals in the ever-changing world of work.

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In 1946, with the postwar economic boom just beginning, William Russell “Russ” Kelly started Russell Kelly Office Service, which offered to pick up typing work from customers and complete it at his office. It wasn’t long before one of Russ’s customers called in desperate need, not for work to be picked up, but for a worker to fill in for his secretary who hadn’t shown up that day. Following his service-oriented instincts, Russ offered to loan the customer his own secretary for the day.

Then a steel company called.

They needed help with payroll, but were reluctant to send sensitive company records over to Russ’s office. They asked if he’d consider

sending one of his typists to their office to do the work. These customer requests gave Russ an idea.

He realized that booming Detroit-based businesses wanted clerical help to come to their offices, often for short or last-minute assignments.

His idea? Instead of picking up typing work and doing it in his own office, he’d start sending his two employees on temporary assignments to wherever they were needed. From Russ’s small office in Detroit, that idea quickly caught on.

With a qualified staff ready at a moment’s notice, Russ saved his customers time and money. Thus, the modern staffing industry was born, and so was the iconic Kelly Girl.

Russ had always been proud of the name Kelly Girl, which had been coined by his temporary employees in order to more easily identify themselves when working in the customer’s office. The term gained national recognition for quality temporary employees. As a result, the company changed its name to Kelly Girl Service, Inc. in 1957.

Russ leveraged the Kelly Girl brand and made it a household phrase synonymous with temporary staffing. In those early days, the company proudly displayed images of smiling women seated at typewriters, and rented buses with banners proclaiming “more Kelly Girls going to work” as they transported Kelly employees to customer locations.

But as times changed, so did the services the company offered. Marketing,

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St. Joseph BuSineSS Journal

New Intake Specialist at Progressive Community Services Progressive Community Services is happy to announce that Shannon Wiedmer is the new Intake Specialist at their organization.

She will be offering families oneon one-support to apply for services through the Missouri Dept. of Mental Health/Developmental Disabilities Services. She will help them identify what records and assessments are needed as well asprovide information on other available services and supports.

To contact Shannon, please call 816-364-3827, ext. 1143 or email swiedmer@sb40pcs.com.

Fall 2016

16

BusinessBriefs

on basic checking, say), and great service,” MONEY reports in its article.

“It has outposts in half the states in the country, with a particularly strong U.S. Bank has earned recognition presence in the West, and takes top

by MONEY as one of its 2016-2017 marks for customer service, according Best Banks, according to the annual to J.D. Power. And the bank offers survey released Oct. 26. U.S. Bank discounted auto and other loan rates was named the “Best Big Bank” in a to customers—something done by tie with TD Bank. fewer than half of the brick-and“Our customers are at the heart of mortar banks MONEY analyzed.” everything we do,” said Richard Davis, MONEY analyzed the 75 largest chairman and chief executive officer brick-and-mortar banks and online of U.S. Bank. “Our employees are banks by consumer deposits— focused on doing the right thing for based on data from consulting firm our customers, and to be their most Novantas—as well as the 50 biggest trusted choice for financial services. credit unions, selecting those you can This recognition is a credit to their join via a one-time payment to an passion and hard work.” associated group. From almost 800 “U.S. Bank provides a winning accounts, MONEY gathered 27,000combination of broad coverage, plus data points, including account easily waived maintenance fees (with terms, ATM networks, branch hours, a $1,500 average monthly balance mobile-app features, preferential loan

U.S. Bank Earns ‘Best Banks’ Recognition

rates, and other benefits.

For Best Big Bank, Regional Banks, Online Bank, and Credit Union for Everyone, MONEY screened first for banks with checking accounts that let you avoid all maintenance and ATM fees with a balance of no more than $5,000. Of those, MONEY gave points for reimbursement of other ATMs’ surcharges; interest paid on checking and savings; published J.D. Power customer service ratings, when available; loan discounts; geographic reach; and mobile apps.

Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB), with $454 billion in assets as of September 30, 2016, is the parent company of U.S. Bank National Association, the fifth-largest commercial bank in the United States.

The company operates 3,114 banking offices in 25 states and 4,875 ATMs.

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