11 City Council, outline their positions. 12 Discovery Ridge. · Nancy Alton is the new...
28
Volume 17 Issue 18 April 2, 2011 www.columbiabusinesstimes.com $ 1 50 PRST STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit #353 Columbia, MO SPECIAL SECTION Commercial Real Estate & Construction See Page 20 20 Parker Building Atkins Investments gives the ca. 1907 building on North 10th Street a history-friendly facelift, with plans for office spaces and loft apartments. April 5 Election Columbia’s 1st and 5th Ward candidates discuss issues facing City Council, outline their positions. 11 Business Profile Pathologist Dr. Charles Wiedmeyer creates commercial lab Clinical Comparative Pathology Services at Discovery Ridge. 12 By Courtney Shove Public Works Director John Glascock’s presentation to City Council was packed with proposed projects for reducing stormwater flowing into Hinkson Creek and came just a month after the Environmental Protection Agency issued its final pollution-control plan. The projects included more than a dozen retention basins in the watershed, along with small dams and reservoirs and a large wet- land in the upper portion of the creek’s mean- dering path through the city. Asked what it would cost to buy the major portion of the land for the proposed wetland, Glascock said $3 million to $5 million. That last part was news to John Alspaugh, the landowner, who happened to be at the hearing for another matter related to new sewer lines that will be running across his 200-acre farm that flanks Hinkson Creek. “That was a surprise to us,” Carol Ann Alspaugh, his wife, said. During an interview at his farm, John Alspaugh said no one had talked to them beforehand about the proposal and that Glascock appeared to be improvising, or “talking without thinking.” EPA-ordered Hinkson cleanup off to slow start (continued on Page 14) By Brian McNeill Advances in information technology leap ahead with lightning speed, but when it comes to sharing medical information electronically among health care providers, patients, employers and insurance companies, there’s been a bit of a drag. “The health care industry has been slower than other industries in keeping up with the latest information tech- nology,” said Raul Recarey, president of the new Missouri Health Information Organization, which is based in Columbia. “It’s interesting that health care is really all about data,” Recarey said, “but instead of having smooth paths that allow information to flow efficiently among hospitals, clinics and physician offices, there are silos of electronic data that prevent health care providers from sharing important — sometimes life-threatening — health infor- mation with each other.” MHIO was established last July to build collabora- tion between the state and health care stakeholders. The objectives are to improve public health and patient care and help reduce health care costs through a secure and efficient exchange of clinical information. The organization was created on behalf of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act — part of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act — to access federal funds to plan, design and implement the infrastructure to support statewide health information exchange and encourage the adoption and use of electronic health records. Recarey said MHIO will, in time, bring many tech- related jobs to Columbia and elsewhere in Missouri. (continued on Page 6) Raul Recarey’s Mission Breaking down health care information silos Photo by august kryger Raul Recarey recently took the position of president of the Missouri Health Information Organization.
Transcript of 11 City Council, outline their positions. 12 Discovery Ridge. · Nancy Alton is the new...
Volume 17Issue 18
April 2, 2011
www.columbiabusinesstimes.com $150
PRST STDU.S. Postage
PAIDPermit #353Columbia, MO
SPECIAL SECTION
Commercial Real Estate & Construction
See Page 20
20Parker BuildingAtkins Investments gives the ca. 1907 building on North 10th Street a history-friendly facelift, with plans for office spaces and loft apartments.
April 5 ElectionColumbia’s 1st and 5th Ward candidates discuss issues facing City Council, outline their positions.
11Business Profile Pathologist Dr. Charles Wiedmeyer creates commercial lab Clinical Comparative Pathology Services at Discovery Ridge.12
By Courtney Shove
Public Works Director John Glascock’spresentationtoCityCouncilwaspackedwithproposed projects for reducing stormwaterflowing into Hinkson Creek and came justa month after the Environmental ProtectionAgencyissueditsfinalpollution-controlplan.
The projects includedmore than a dozenretentionbasinsinthewatershed,alongwithsmall dams and reservoirs and a large wet-landintheupperportionofthecreek’smean-dering path through the city.Asked what itwould cost to buy the major portion of thelandfortheproposedwetland,Glascocksaid$3millionto$5million.
ThatlastpartwasnewstoJohnAlspaugh,the landowner, who happened to be at thehearing for another matter related to newsewer lines that will be running across his200-acrefarmthatflanksHinksonCreek.
“That was a surprise to us,” Carol AnnAlspaugh,hiswife,said.Duringaninterviewat his farm, JohnAlspaugh said no one hadtalkedtothembeforehandabouttheproposalandthatGlascockappearedtobeimprovising,or“talkingwithoutthinking.”
EPA-ordered Hinkson cleanup off to slow start
(continued on Page 14)
By Brian McNeill
Advances in information technology leapaheadwithlightning speed, but when it comes to sharing medicalinformation electronically among health care providers,patients, employers and insurance companies, there’sbeenabitofadrag.
“Thehealthcare industryhasbeenslowerthanotherindustriesinkeepingupwiththelatestinformationtech-nology,”saidRaulRecarey,presidentofthenewMissouriHealth Information Organization, which is based inColumbia.
“It’s interesting that health care is really all aboutdata,”Recareysaid,“butinsteadofhavingsmoothpathsthatallowinformationtoflowefficientlyamonghospitals,clinicsandphysicianoffices, thereare silosof electronicdata that prevent health care providers from sharing
important— sometimes life-threatening—health infor-mationwitheachother.”
MHIO was established last July to build collabora-tionbetweenthestateandhealthcarestakeholders.Theobjectives are to improvepublichealth andpatient careand help reduce health care costs through a secure andefficientexchangeofclinicalinformation.
Theorganizationwascreatedonbehalfof theHealthInformation Technology for Economic and ClinicalHealthAct— part of the 2009American Recovery andReinvestmentAct—toaccessfederalfundstoplan,designand implement the infrastructure to support statewidehealthinformationexchangeandencouragetheadoptionanduseofelectronichealthrecords.
Recarey saidMHIOwill, in time, bringmany tech-relatedjobstoColumbiaandelsewhereinMissouri.
(continued on Page 6)
Raul Recarey’s MissionBreaking down health care information silos
Ph
oto
by
au
gu
st
kr
yg
er
Raul Recarey recently took the position of president of the Missouri Health Information Organization.
2 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
3M ............................................................................17Atkins Investments .........................................1, 20, 21The Blue Note .............................................................4Bucket Media .............................................................4Boone County National Bank .....................................4Boys and Girls Club..................................................11Cerner .........................................................................7Clear Vision Development Group .............................25Columbia Area Career Center ....................................5Columbia College ...................................................4, 5Columbia Daily Tribune.............................................26Columbia Foods .......................................................17Comparative Pathology Services ...................1, 12, 13Curtis Bourgeois .........................................................5Delta Systems ............................................................3Epic ............................................................................7Full Stream ...............................................................21Fun City ....................................................................11Geisha Sushi Bar ......................................................21Gold’s Gym ...............................................................20Good Nature .............................................................27Grove Construction ..................................................21Jon’s Pipe Shop .......................................................21Key Largo Fitness and Tanning ................................20King’s Daughters Holiday Festival ............................26Knorr Marketing Communications .............................4KOPN .........................................................................8Landmark Bank ........................................................19Les Bourgeois Winery and Bistro ...........................2, 5Missouri Bicycle Federation .....................................11Missouri Health Information Organization ..........1, 6, 7Missouri Restaurant Association ................................5Missouri Symphony Society .......................................4Mojo’s .........................................................................4Nicholson Kovac Inc...................................................4OATS Inc. ....................................................................4Parker Funeral Home................................................20Peace Nook ..............................................................21Plaza Commercial Realty .........................................22Progressive Missionary Baptist Church .....................8Regional Economic Development Inc. .....................11Research Animal Diagnostic Laboratory ..................13Rogers, Ehrhardt & Weber ........................................11Russell Chapel ............................................................8Sandler Training ........................................................24Schneider Electric ....................................................11Sierra Club ................................................................17Socket ........................................................................4Square D ...................................................................17St. Luke United Methodist Church .............................8St. Paul A.M.E. Church ...............................................8Sycamore .................................................................21Tallulah’s ...............................................................2, 26Taste of Mid Missouri .................................................5United Way 2-1-1 .......................................................4Visionworks Marketing & Communications ................4Voluntary Action Center .........................................4,19Walmart ....................................................................18Watlow Electric Manufacturing Company ................11Wells Fargo Insurance Services .................................7Woodruff Sweitzer ......................................................4
26
5Person You Should Know Ray Nunnelly, human resource/retail facility director of Les Bourgeois Winery and Bistro, talks family, community service and the hospitality industry.
New Business UpdateTallulah’s, a new kitchen and home store opening in PS:Gallery’s former location, finds a niche in downtown Columbia.
Albright Heating & Air Conditioning ........................... 21Atterberry Auction & Realty Co. .................................... 7Baer & Edington, LLC .................................................. 27Boone County National Bank ...................................... 28CenturyLink ................................................................. 21City of Columbia Public Works .................................... 10City of Columbia Water & Light ................................... 26Columbia Turf & Landscape ........................................ 12Commerce Bank .......................................................... 18Commercial Mortgage Brokers ................................... 16Crossland Construction ............................................... 13Delta Systems ............................................................... 7Handyman Solutions ................................................. 24Hawthorn ....................................................................... 3HealthLink.................................................................... 23Landmark Bank ............................................................. 2Magic Service .............................................................. 13Naught Naught Insurance Agency .............................. 10Savant Business Development System ...................... 25Smart Business Products ............................................ 11Smith Lewis, LLP ......................................................... 24SOCKET ................................................................... 19The Columbia Special Business District ..................... 23The Frame Shop .......................................................... 20The Insurance Group ..................................................... 4Tiger Scholarship Fund ............................................... 17Triangle Blueprints ....................................................... 13UMB ............................................................................ 22Watkins Roofing .......................................................... 16Wilkerson & Reynolds Wealth Management ................. 6
3 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
TheColumbia Business TimesispublishedeveryotherSaturdaybyTheBusinessTimesCo.,2001CorporatePlace,Suite100,Columbia,Mo65202.
CopyrightTheBusinessTimesCo.,2008.Allrightsreserved.Reproductionoruseofanyeditorialorgraphiccontentwithouttheexpresswrittenpermissionofthepublisherisprohibited.Third-classpostagepaidatColumbia,Mo.Theannualsubscriptionrateis$39.95for26issues.
OURMISSIONSTATEMENT:TheColumbia Business Times strivestobeColumbia’sleadingsourcefortimelyandcomprehensivenewscoverageofthelocalbusinesscommunity.ThispublicationisdedicatedtobeingthemostrelevantandusefulvehiclefortheexchangeofinformationandideasamongColumbia’sbusinessprofessionals.
Chris Harrison | General Manager | Ext.1010David Reed | Group Editor | Ext.1013Annie Greenberg | Intern | Ext.1009Katrina Tauchen | Copy Editor Alisha Moreland | Art DirectorKristin Branscom | Graphic DesignerBetsy Bell | Creative Marketing DirectorCindy Sheridan | Operations ManagerAnnie Jarrett | Marketing RepresentativeJoe Schmitter | Marketing Representative
Writers in this issue: Dianna Borsi O'Brien, Annie Greenberg, Phil Leslie, Brian McNeill, Courtney Shove, Valeria Turturro
Columnists in this issue: Cathy Atkins, Chris Belcher, Bill Cantin, Al Germond, Tony Richards, Gene Robertson
(573) 499-1830 | (573) 499-1831 [email protected] information: [email protected]
CBT going mobileIf you’re like mostCBT readers, you’re reading this
columnonpaperorononeofyourcomputers.But that dynamic is changing quickly. If you’re like
most American adults, you’ll be getting most of yournews on yourmobile phone and/or tablet computer inthenot-so-distantfuture.
Asurveyconducted in Januaryby thePewCenter’sProjectforExcellenceinJournalismshowedhowquicklylocalnewsisgoingmobile.Hereareafewofthefindings:
NearlyhalfofallAmericanadultsreportthattheygetatleastsomelocalnewsandinformationontheirmobilephoneortabletcomputer.
Whattheyseekoutmostonmobileplatformsisinfor-mation that is practical and in real time: 42 percent ofmobiledeviceownersreportgettingweatherupdatesontheirphonesor tablets;37percentsay theygetmaterialaboutrestaurantsorotherlocalbusinesses.
Justmore than half use six ormore sources or plat-formsmonthly to get local news and information, andabout a quarter report having an application, or app,thathelpsthemgetinformationornewsabouttheirlocalcommunity.
Bytheendofthemonth,CBTreaderswillbeabletojointhatlastcategory.
DeltaSystemshasdevelopedawebsiteforourpubli-cationthat’sdesignedformobilephoneusers.
We'll take all the articles and information and keyphotos thatappear in theprintandonlineversionsandcompactthemforeasymobilereading.
JustvisitColumbiaBusinessTimes.comonyoursmart-phoneor tabletbrowser.Onceyou’reon the sitewithamobiledevice,we'llhavealinkshowingyouhowtosaveabookmarkofthepagetoyourhomescreenalongwiththeotherlogosofyourapps.
Andwe’dlovetohearwhatyouthinkaboutthenewCBTmobile—bytextmessage,tweet,email([email protected])or theold-schoolphone call, at499-1830,ext.2.v
4 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
HiringsKnorr Marketing Communications hired
Haley Schwarzasthedirectorofcommunica-tionsstrategy.Sheisresponsibleforstrategicmarketing solutions for clients includingwriting, design, media relations and eventmanagement.Schwarzwasrecentlyaresourcespecialist and state liaison for United Way2-1-1,where sheprovided centralizedaccesstocommunityservicesthroughoutMissouri.
Scott Christian is the new director ofdigitalmarketing forWoodruff Sweitzer.Hejoins the agencywithmore than 10 years ofdigital marketing experience, most recentlyas director of digital services at NicholsonKovac Inc.Woodruff Sweitzer has offices inColumbia,KansasCityandCanada.
Nancy Alton isthenewofficecoordinatorfor administrative services at ColumbiaCollege. Among other things, she will bemaintaining themaster calendar, schedulingevents,payingbillsand trackingprojectandutilityexpenses.Sarah Smithhasalsojoinedthecollegestaffasanadministrativeassistantfor the online campus. She will be helpingprospective online students through theapplicationprocess.
BucketMediahasopenedalocationinSt.Louis andhiredVon Scales as thebusinessdevelopmentspecialistfortheSt.Louisarea.Scaleshasmorethan17yearsofexperienceinsales andmarketing andwill be responsibleformanagingaccountsanddevelopingbusi-nessinthenewlocation.
PromotionsMatt Moore was named the director of
businessprogramsforMissouriUSDARuralDevelopmentinFebruary.HejoinedtheRuralDevelopment team in 2004 as a communityandbusinessprogramsspecialist.He isnowresponsiblefordirectingseveralprogramsforthe state, including ruralbusiness enterprisegrants, renewable energy loans and grants,energyauditgrantsandruraleconomicdevel-opmentloansandgrants.HegraduatedfromMUwithadegreeinfinancein1997.
Mike Watson has been appointed as thecommunity bank president, northern regionmanagingofficer byBooneCountyNationalBank. He has 13 years of financial service
experienceandstartedwiththebankin1998as a loan collector. In this position, Watsonwill oversee the operations of the northernbankbranches, includingbanks inCentralia,HallsvilleandSturgeon.
Local telephone and Internet service pro-viderSocketpromotedKurt Bruemmer andNicholas Peña. Bruemmer has been namedthe director of business improvement andcontrol.HewillbeimplementingtheLeanSixSigmabusinessmethodologytoimprovepro-cesses and eliminate waste within the com-pany procedures. Bruemmer has been withSocketformorethan10years.Peñaisthenewoutsideplantcoordinator.Hewillbeassistingwith the rollout of the company’s CallawayCounty fiber-to-the-home project. Peña hasworkedforSocketformorethaneightyears.
AppointmentsRichard KingandLili Vianelloarethetwo
newestmembers to theMissouri SymphonySociety Board of Directors. Cindy Mustard wasalsore-electedtotheboardforasecondterm.KingistheownerofTheBlueNoteandMojo’s and has been in the entertainmentbusiness for more than 30 years. Vianellois a longtime member of the Society and isthe president of Visionworks Marketing &Communications.Mustardhas servedas theexecutive director of the Voluntary ActionCenterformorethan20yearsandhasbeenonthelocalCommissionforCulturalAffairsformorethan13years.TheMissouriSymphonysocietywasfoundedin1970.
AwardsColumbia Public Schools Superintendent
Chris Belcher has been honored by theMissouriSchoolPublicRelationsAssociationas Administrator of the Year. Belcher wasselected for his outstanding communityengagement efforts and emphasis on openandtransparentcommunications.
Dispatcher Robbie Johnson has beenhonoredbyOATSInc.for15yearsofservice.AformerlocalNASCARcrewchiefforalmost20 years, Johnson spent his first sixmonthswithOATSasadriverandhasworkedasadispatchereversince.v
We want to hear from you. Please email your submissions to editor@businesstimes company.com.
Christian Moore Bruemmer
Peña King Vianello
Mustard Belcher
5 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
PEOPLE YOu SHOULD KNOW
Raymond T. NunnellyHuman Resource/Retail Facility Director, Les Bourgeois Winery and Bistro;
Founder, Curtis Bourgeois; CEO, Curtis Bourgeois Jr.
Pho
to b
y ar
t sm
ith
ww
w.ar
tsm
ithPh
otog
raph
y.com
AGE:50|YEARS LIVED IN MID-MISSOURI:45years|ORIGINAL HOMETOWN:Columbia
JOB DESCRIPTION:Developthehumanresourcemanagementandpersonnel;instillthecultureandtradition,education,traininganddevelopmentcompanywide;overseetheretailfacilities,bistro,cateringandA-framerevenuecenters
EDUCATION: MaryandRaymond(parents),ColumbiaPublicSchools,MissouriWesternUniversity,ColumbiaCollege,LincolnUniversity(studiedbusinessandeducation)
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Current president of the Columbia/Mid-Missouri chapter of the Missouri RestaurantAssociation,currentmemberoftheMRAstateboardofdirectors,mentorforlocalyouths,activewithColumbiaAreaCareerCenterCulinaryArtsProgram,promotetheTasteofMidMissouritoraisescholarshipsforUniversityofMissourihotelandrestaurantmanagementstudents
PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: Ispent15yearswithColumbiaPublicSchoolsasahome-schoolcoordinator/edu-catorandathleticcoach.Myfunctionwastobridgethegapincommunicationsbetweentheparents,admin-istrationandstaffandfacilitatedirectandpositivefeedbackforthegrowthofstudentswiththeirparentsorguardians.Icoachedfootball,basketballandgolfatRockBridgeandJeffersonJr.HighSchool.Currently,IhavethebestpositioninthecountyatLesBourgeoisVineyardandBistro,highontheblufftopinRocheport.Ihavebeeninthispositionforfiveyearsandcounting.
A COLUMBIA BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE AND WHY: Iadmiremostbusinessownerswhoputothersbeforethem-selves,andI respect thesmall familybusinessownerswhohavepassedtheir tradeandprofession to thenextgeneration,suchasRichardandMarthaHead(HeadMotorCompany),RichardWalls(BooneTavern,Heidelberg,SirWinston)andCurtisBourgeois,founderofLesBourgeoisVineyard.
WHY I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT MY JOB:OurlocationatLesBourgeoisissecondtonone.Thewinery/bistroisunique,andthediversecultureandatmospheresetourcompanyapartfromtheothers.Weallhaveasenseofownership,whichmakesforapleasantandprofessionalworkenvironment.Beinginthepositionofofferingemploymentandhopeiswonderful.
IF I WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, I WOULD: Bedevelopingprogramsforschooltocareersforourlocalyouth,workingwithfamiliestoimprovetheirhousingandcreateavenuesforthosewhowanttoinvestin
inexpensiveandenergy-consciousdo-it-yourselfprojects,doingcareerplacementforminoritieswhopursuethehospitalityindustry,developinganetworkingsystemforfutureprofessionalsinconstructionandlaborand/orbeingacraftsmanapprenticetolearnandteachtheartofwoodworking.
BIGGEST CAREER OBSTACLE I’VE OVERCOME AND HOW:LesBourgeoisisthethird-largestwineryinMissouri.Itischal-lenging developing a networking system for minorities working in this industry. Being involved with MRA andColumbiaPublicSchoolshasmadethistransitionpossiblebecauseoftheextremelyintelligentpeoplewhohavecrossedmypath.
A FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT:Buildingawoodworkingshop.It’saplaceonmypropertywhereIcanexpressmyself.
WHAT PEOPLE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THIS PROFESSION: Thehospitalityandserviceindustryisverygratifying.Thewillingnesstoassistourguestswithsincerityshouldbenaturalandfluid.Learnfromthebottomup,andunderstandthattheexperi-encesyouhavewithtreatingpeoplecomfortablywilldictatetheamountofsuccessyouhaveinthefuture.
WHAT I DO FOR FUN:Water sports, horseback riding and training,motorcycle rides, attendingprofessional sports,musicconcerts(jazzandBlues),pottery,fishingwithmybrothersandfriends
FAMILY: Parents,whoresideinColumbia;sisterPam,wholivesinColumbiaandworksasaneducator;brotherRickey,wholivesinBirmingham,Ala.,andisintheplasticindustry;brotherRon,whoisaneducatorandlivesinSantaFe,N.M.,withhiswife,Laura,anddaughter,Anisha;mywonderfulwife,Shellee,towhomIhavebeenmarriedfor19years;also,sixhorsesandtwodogs,BaileyandGuenther
FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA:Myparents’dinnertable.Myfolksareexcellentcooksandconversationalists.Ilovetheirenergyandwisdom.Whenmyentirefamilyispresentandenjoyingoneother,IknowthenthatI’mtrulyblessed.
ACCOMPLISHMENT I’M MOST PROUD OF: Beingagoodsonandhusbandaswellasaloyalfriend;beinganintegralpartinthedevelopmentoftheMAACScholarprogramforCPS,whichpreparesAfrican-Americanstudentsacademicallyfortherigorsofhigherlearning;receivingtheRestaurateurAwardforMid-Missouriin2010;beingthefirstinductedclassfortheRockBridgeAthleticHallofFamewithmybrotherRon
MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT I:I’mafraidofheights.Ihavebeenhanggliding,parasailingandmore,butIstillhaveahighlevelofanxietybeforeIattemptthoseactivities.v
6 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
PH
OT
O B
y A
UG
US
T K
Ry
GE
R
Health Information Network... continued from Page 1
One of the Missouri organization’s firsttasks in the comingweekswill be to selecta technical service provider that will worktoward connecting the electronic medicalrecordsystemsofhealthcareprovidersintoastatewidegrid,alsoknownasahealthinfor-mationexchange.
“Hospitals and clinics use computersystems from different vendors, so it’s dif-ficult for them to ‘talk’ to one another,”Recareysaid.“TheONC[OfficeofNationalCoordinator for Health Information
HIE Building Blocks As theMissouriHealth InformationOrganization creates anetwork throughout the
state,itsfocuswillbeonprovidingthesespecializedservices:• Physicianportal Physicianslogintoasinglewebsitewheretheycanaccessapatient’shealthinforma-
tion.That information is stored either in a centralizeddata repositoryor through arecord-locatorservicethatidentifiesthesourcesofdataforapatient.
• Clinicalmessaging This service automates electronic delivery of health care data. For example, lab
resultscanbesentviaanelectronicfilefromalaboratorydirectlytoapatient’smed-icalrecordinaclinic insteadofbeingfaxedandthatdataenteredmanuallyintoapatient’spaperchart.
• Clinicalinteroperability Datathatresideinsilosofelectronicmedicalrecordaresharedamongdisparatehealth
caresystemsthroughoutageographicarea.MHIO’shealthinformationexchangewillprovidea“highway” inwhichdatawill eventuallybe shared throughoutMissouri.OnceMHIO becomes part of the national grid established by the National HealthInformationOrganization,datawillbesharedacrossthecountry.
• Electronichealthrecord Healthcareprovidersnotnecessarilyaffiliatedwithoneanotherbutthatarepartofan
electronicnetworkareabletoaccesspatientinformationfromoneanother’scomputersystems.
• Personalhealthrecord Patientscancollect, trackandsharepresentandpast informationabout theirhealth
care. This tool also gives health care providersmore information about a patient’shealthhistory,thereforepotentiallyeliminatingunnecessarytestsorprocedures.
• Recordlocating Amatchingprocess isused to ensureaccuratepatient identificationacrossmultiple
healthcareprovidersthathaveseparatemedicalrecordnumberingsystems.• Administrativeservices Ahealthinformationexchangewillsimplifysuchadministrativeservicesasaccessing
Medicare,Medicaidandprivatehealthinsuranceclaims,authorizationsandpayments.• Chronicdiseasemanagement This service helps clinicians coordinate care with multiple specialists by collecting
patienthealthinformationfromvarioussourcesandmakingitavailableinonepatientmedicalrecord.
• Communityandpublichealth Public health information can be collected from anddistributed to health care pro-
vidersacrossalargegeographicareafasterandmoreefficiently.
Source: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society
Recarey
A $13.9 million federal grant
from the American Recovery
and Reinvestment Act will
help MHIO establish a health
information exchange for
Missouri. Several yet-to-be-
determined hospitals and clinics
will be part of a pilot program
that will launch in a few months.
7 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
Ready to Move into Ranch Home w/Lots of Upgrades
Terms: $10,000.00 Down Day Of Auction. Remaining Balance Due Within 30 Days. A 4% Buyer’s Fee Will Be Added To The Final Bid. Buyer’s Agents - Realtor Participation is welcomed! Dead-line April 13th at 12:00 Noon for Agent / Broker Registration, No Exceptions.
Friday, April 15, 2011 @ 12:00 Noon(Personal Property Begins @ 10:00 a.m.)
3701 Teakwood Drive, Columbia, MO
REAL ESTATE AUCTIONSOUTHWEST COLUMBIA, JUST OFF CHAPEL HILL & GRANT LANE
• Perfect For A Family, Professional, & Retirees -- Offers Main Level Living.
• Ranch Style Home W/ Main Level Laundry
• Unfinished Walkout Basement, Ready To Expand
• 3 Bedrooms, 2 Full Baths• Unfinished Storage / Workshop• Lots Of Landscaping & Beautiful
Mature Trees• Two Car Garage• Rear Wood Deck
Technology—thefederalofficethatprovidesleadershipforhealthIT]hascreatedstandardsthatelectronicmedicalrecordvendorssuchasCernerandEpicusetoparticipateinwhateven-tuallywill be a nationwide grid of electronichealth information. Each state will connectthrough the NationalHealth InformationOrganization.”
A $13.9 millionfederal grant from theAmerican Recoveryand ReinvestmentAct will help MHIOestablishahealthinfor-mation exchange forMissouri. Several yet-to-be-determined hos-pitals and clinics willbe part of a pilot pro-gram that will launchinafewmonths.
Missouri’s healthinformation exchangewill expand as pro-viders, everyone frommulti-hospital healthcaresystemstoaphysi-cian’soffice,tieintothestatewidegrid.
Recarey said opera-tions with multiplehospitals and complexmedical records can join the exchange at oneentry point. (An example is BJC HealthCare,which has 13 affiliated hospitals, includingBoone Hospital Center.) “It’s the same forregional health systems and physicians’
offices,whichmaychoosetojointheexchangeasagroup,”hesaid.
The organization was created to helphealth care providers establish electronicmedical records and not to “disturb existingEMRsthatarealreadyinplace,”Recareysaid.
“Health care systemssuchasBJCHealthCarehave spent millionsin building their ownEMRs, andMHIOwillmakesurethattheycantieintothegridwithnodisruption.”
Security of patienthealth information isimperative for a suc-cessful health infor-mation exchange, andRecarey stresses thatMHIO’s top prioritywill be to establishsecurity protocols thatexceed strict federalstandards. “Nothingwillbesparedtoensurethat we have a closednetwork in the mosthighly controlled envi-ronment,”hesaid.
In addition, MHIOhascreatedaconsumeradvisory council that
will view the health information exchangefrom a patient’s perspective and make sureprivacyisrespectedandthatpatientscanoptout of having their health information in thegrid.v
Recarey’s ResumeRaul Recarey will lead an initial staff of four from
MHIO’snewofficeat3009FallingLeafCourtinsoutheastColumbia.
Before joining MHIO he served as chief operationsofficerandactingexecutivedirectoroftheWestVirginiaHealthInformationNetwork.
“Ihavegainedalotofexperienceinarelativelynewfield, and I’m eager to bring the lessons learned fromWestVirginia toMissouri,”Recareysaid.“Missourihasthe right formula for success because it has establishedits health informationorganization as apublic andpri-vateentity rather thanasastateagency.MHIO’sboardofdirectorsandvolunteersareadiversegroupandtrulyrepresentboththeprivateandthepublicsectors.”
Recarey was vice president of health programs atWellsFargoInsuranceServicesbeforetakingthepositioninWest Virginia.His career also includes the foundingof MedicorpCare, a consulting organization to helplargeself-insuredemployergroupsaddressrisinghealthcare costs, and executive positionswith BestAmericanProviders,ManagedCareofAmericaPPOandMedicorp.
MHIO board chairwoman Sandra Johnson saidRecareybringsauniqueblendofexperienceinhealthcareinformation technology and general business acumen.“Raulisjusttherightpersontobuildanorganizationlikethis from scratch,” said Johnson,who serves as interimdeanandprofessoremeritaoflawandhealthcareethicsatSaintLouisUniversitySchoolofLaw.
“Raul isoperational-oriented,soweknowthatallofthe day-to-day details will be covered and that MHIOwillcontinuetomoveforward,”Johnsonsaid.“Andhe’sanexcellentcommunicatorandcanengagecreativelyinanyuncertaintiesthatareboundtopopup.Mostofall,Raul is very passionate about how MHIO’s work willimprovethequalityofhealthcareforallofus.”
Security of patient health
information is imperative
for a successful health
information exchange,
and Recarey stresses that
MHIO’s top priority will be to
establish security protocols
that exceed strict federal
standards. “Nothing will be
spared to ensure that we
have a closed network in
the most highly controlled
environment.”
8 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
VOICESFrom the Roundtable
Out-of-towner city manager replacement has big shoes to fill
Al Germond
Al Germond is the host of the "Columbia
Business TImes Sunday Morning Roundtable" every Sunday at 8:15
a.m. on KFRu. [email protected]
As much faith as I have in the wise andcollective wisdom of our elected officials, I’mdisappointed by their recent decision to selectan out-of-towner to be Columbia’s new citymanager.Farfromwishingtocastahexoverthecandidate they unanimously selected, the real“bootsontheground”successortoBillWatkins,Ibelieve,wasalreadyhere,andthat’sofcourseTonySt.Romaine.
I have been struck by thewhirlwind hasti-nessof thevettingprocess.Watkinsgave ade-quatenoticeofhisdesiretoretireashisownlifewastornasunderbythetragic—andgenerallyunknown to thepublic— illnessandultimatepassing of his wife. Although Columbia haslong relied on consultants for advice relativeto its utilities and publicworks, the increasedcomplexityofthemunicipalityhasnecessitatedbroadeningthecity’sbaseofoutside“experts”toincludepersonnelconsultants.
Morethanjustsittingonthewarm-upbenchwaitingtobeappointed,St.Romaine,Ibelieve,was no less prepared to assume the city’s topexecutivepositionthanhispredecessorwashalfadecadeorsoagowhenRayBeckbegantestingthewaterstosoundouthiseventualretirement.Irememberhearingmisgivingsatthetimethat
Watkins, then one of Beck’s assistants, wasn’t“seasoned” enough for the job, and what abunchofbalderdashthatturnedouttobe!
IhaveverylittlepersonalexperiencewithSt.Romaine, but I’ve beenvery impressedbyhisperformanceduringthepastfewyearsandhowhe prepares and handles himself— especiallyunder fire. A particular plus: He works wellwiththemediaandisbothstraight-forwardanddecisive.Watkinshadthe foresight todelegateauthoritytohistwoassistantsandwiselyplacedSt.Romaineatthehelmofvariouschallengingprojects across the community, which has notgoneunnoticed.
I’ve been troubled from the onset by theCity Council’s decision to hire an external“headhunter”toroundupreplacementcandi-datesforWatkins’position.Afirmwasselectedwhose purpose and own self interest wouldappeartobecrosswayswiththecommunity’sdesire to find the absolute best candidate fortheposition.WithafigurativeRolodexbackinPennsylvaniacrammedwithclientswhowereavailable, one senses the consultant alreadyhaditsownquartetofcandidateslinedupandraringtogo.
Fly them in for an all-too-brief visit and alargely ignored,figurative“kick-the-tires”eve-ning,andthereyouhaveit;themayorandCityCouncilwereunanimousfortheguyfromDesMoines. Of course, the consultant rejected St.Romaine because from the start, they did nothavetheslightestscintillaofinterestinanyonelocalandnotalreadyintheirRolodex,especiallyif itwasoneof formerCityManagerWatkins’understudiesalreadywarmedupandready.
Ifyouarereadingthis,St.Romaine,pleasehang in there. The incoming city managershouldbewiseenoughtorecognizethedepthofyourknowledgeandexperienceasyoucramhimwithalltheminutiaeyou’vegainedfromyearsonthejobbecausehe’sgoingtoneedallthehelphecanget.
Meanwhile, here’s a mild scold to ourelected officials: Please recognize and rewardthoseamongyouremployeeswho’vegrownupandadvancedwithinthesystem.Watkinsdidagreatjob,andI’dwagerSt.Romainewouldbejustasdistinguished ifhe’dbeenselected.Asweallwishthenewguythebestofluckinhisnewposition, let’smakesureColumbiahasastrongbenchofassistantswhoaren’t chainedinthedugout.v
Guest Column
Columbia moves slowly in embracing African-Americans
Gene Robertson
William E. “Gene” Robertson is a profes-
sor emeritus at Mu.
The release of new census data provides anopportunity tomake an assessment of the blacksituationinColumbia.
Thecity’sblackpopulationismorethan12,200,about11percentof thetotalpopulation.African-American-owned businesses amount to fewerthan1percentofthetotalnumber.Therealsoisasignificant disparity between the achievement ofblack studentsand thoseofwhite students. (Theschoolsystemstatesitiscommittedtoaddressingit.) Blacks are disproportionately arrested, finedandgivenharshsentences.Thereisapolicereviewcommittee,butattemptsarebeingmadetorenderitimpotent.
African-Americandecision-makersinanyoftheprofitandnonprofitsectorsareapproximately inthesamepercentileastheAfrican-Americanbusi-nesses.Iamdiscountingfancytitlesthataregivento outsiders with no authority and experts whowerehiredfromoutside,suchasformerColumbiaPolice Chief William Dye, former UM SystemPresidentElsonFloydandformerColumbiaPublicSchoolsSuperintendentPhyllisChase.
There are many notable African-AmericansfromColumbiawhobecamesuccessfulleadersineverykindofendeavor.SmallbusinesseshirefewAfrican-AmericansinColumbia.Mostpublic-andprivate-sector businesses have a token minority(not necessary black) that they can show at thediversitybreakfast.RarelyisanAfrican-Americanelevatedtoanypositionifitdependsonvotes.
Stillthisisabigdifferencefromthetimewhenall hired positions for blacks were menial-levelservice positions. Many of my older African-Americanfriendsarequicktoremindmethatthisisaslowbutbettertrend.
Professionals from the South appear to becomfortablewiththeslowrateofchange.Manyof
themarenotlikelytoprovidethelevelofadvocacythatColumbiamightgetfromformerColumbianssuchasBillWashington,vicepresidentofSprint;JamesNunnally, administrator ofmany agenciesinKansasCity;andDarleneGreen,comptrollerofSt.Louis.
The actual black unemployment rate ismorethan20percentifblackunemploymentistwicethestatedunemploymentrate.Wehavejustasmanypeoplewhohavedroppedoutofthecountedranksdue to frustrationwith failed jobsearches.Manyofthesearemotherswithoutthesupportofsafetynets because of former President Bill Clinton'sfailed welfare-to-work program. These peoplerelyonsupportfromthosewhoareemployedorunderemployedorsomekindofhustle.Thelandownershipinthecentralcitybyblacksisincreas-inglydiminishingduetopredatorybusinessesandblackflight.
Meanwhile, we possess what I call “quietstorms” occurring in Columbia that ought to becelebrated.
Inmyestimation,oneoftheleadersinthequietstorm is theColumbiaPublicLibrary. It remainsamodelofwhatColumbiacouldbeifitlivedupto its progressive potential. The library providesa supportive learning environment and resourceservicesevenly.St.LukeUnitedMethodistChurchhas been quietly making itself, its pastors andcongregationavailabletoallwhowanttoaddressrelevant issues no matter who they are. Thefood pantries of Russell Chapel and ProgressiveMissionary Baptist Church have been providingfoodandclothingtothoseinneed.AlmetaCraytondistributedChristmasbasketsfromSt.PaulA.M.E.Church.
TheAlphaKappaAlphaandDeltaSigmaThetasororities and theMinorityMen’sNetwork pro-
vide service and scholarships in the community.TheRoyalDeucesandthe1stWardAmbassadorsareconstantlyworkingwherevertheyareneeded.
Certainly Wynna Faye Elbert and AlmetaCraytonareallovertheplace.DarrellFosterandTyreeByndomhavedoneagreat jobofassistingWynnaFayeon“StraightTalk”atKOPN.Fosterisnowrunningforthe1stWardCouncilseat.EllisIngramandhiswifehavebeenquietlybuteffec-tivelyworkingwithyouth to encourage them intheartsandmedicalfieldsoutoftheirownpocketsforyears.
NatStephenshasorganizedtheMizzouBlackMen's Initiative into a dynamic group of futureleaders.CharlesandCarolynAllenandtheKellybrothers quietly participate in significant com-munity endeavors. There are other couples suchas the Whitts, the Middletons, the Nunnallys,theGordonsandtheWarrenswhoareallpartofthisquietstormandwhoweareunawareofbutwhoallmakeanimpactonAfrican-AmericansinColumbia.
We should celebrate the efforts and achieve-ment of these individuals and organizations aswellasthespiritofthosewhoinspiredthem.Still,thecontributionsaretoofewandlessintensethanwhatisneeded.
Wearenotmaximizingour fullpotential.Weappear to be more reactive than proactive. Ourtokenpresenceinconspicuousplacesisnotutilized.Toomanyofthesetokenshidefrombeingrespon-sive.Wearecapableofaddressingourissuesifwehavethewill.WemustrememberthattheneedsoftheblackcommunityarenotexclusiveofthelargerColumbiacommunity.AddressingourissueswillenhanceColumbiaandenableColumbiatoreachitsmaximumpotential.v
9 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
VOICESSuperintendent’s View
A tale of two citiesThere are two cities inMissouri that have
approximately16,800students.The budget to educate those children is
$153 million in one district and $259 millionin the other. The expenditure per student is$9,343inonedistrictand$15,640intheother.(Thestateaverageforexpenditureperpupilis$9,751.)Finally,thetaxlevyinthedistrictwiththelargerbudget—KansasCity—is10centsless than the districtwith the smaller budget—Columbia.
This talehighlights someof the inequitiesin funding betweenvarious school districts. Ihave chosen to compare Columbia to KansasCity because the student population size isnearly identical, yet Columbia Public Schoolsspends$100millionlessperyearthanKansasCity.
Morethan80percentofstudentsinKansasCityqualify for freeand reduced-price lunch,whereas Columbia has only 39 percent. Onewouldexpectahigherprogramcostwithsuchadifferenceinstudentdemographics.Therealstory I wish to explore is the nature of howproperty taxes and the state funding formulacreatesuchdisparities.
The funding tale is full of drama andintrigue.Thestorygoeslikethis:• All property categories are taxed at the
sameratesinMissouri.Residentialpropertyis taxed at 19percentper $100of assessedvalue, commercial property is taxed at 32percent,andagriculturallandistaxedat12percentoftheassessedvalue.(Thisisbasedonaproductivitymodel,notmarketvalue.)
• Public properties such as city, university,cooperativeutilities,etc.arenottaxed.Thecombinedpropertyvalueofacommunityiscalledtheassessedvaluation,orAV.Higherproperty values generate higher tax rev-enuesforthepublictaxingentities.KansasCityhastremendousbusinessprop-
ertyvalueanda largeamountof tax revenueforpublic taxing entities.The assessedvalua-tion in Kansas City is $2.8 billion comparedto Columbia’s $2 billion. It also has a higheroperationaltaxrateof$4.95comparedto$4.85inColumbia.
Additionally, Kansas City’s tax rate forschools has remained unchanged for manyyears. Other districts are required to reducethetaxlevyamountifpropertyvaluesincreaseoverthatofinflation.
In Columbia, prior to the recession, theschooldistrictwouldoftenrollbackthelevyby7to25centseachschoolyear.Thedistricthasrecentlybeenrollingthelevybackupasprop-ertyvalueshaveflattened,butisstillbelowthevoter-approvedtaxlevyratesetin2003.Inthistale of two cities, property tax requirementsalso explain some of the huge difference inpropertyrevenues.
The tale of state support is also difficult.Thestatetriestoequalizespendingthroughaformula. In theory, schools with lower prop-erty values are given a higher percentage ofstate funding to equalize spendingper pupil.Columbiareceives33percentofitsoperationsbudget from the state formula; Kansas Cityreceivesabout25percent.
I am not intending to have a discussionabout the efficiency or the academicneeds ofthe twoschooldistricts,but thedifferences infunding are amazing. By the way, St. LouisPublic Schools spends more per pupil thanKansasCity.
Ihaveheardmanylegislatorsstatethatweare in unprecedented budgetary times. Staterevenues have dropped tremendously, butthestatestillhas theresponsibility toprovideequity in funding to some degree. Similarly,allcommunitieshavetheabilitytochoosethefunding level of their schools. This requiresthegreatdemocraticprocessofapublicrefer-endum.Thisdoeshavecertainlimitations.
IamcertainlynotadvocatingthatColumbiaPublic Schools needs another $100 million,but I do salivatewith the thought. ColumbiaPublic Schools would require a levy increaseof around $5, more than double the currentoperatinglevy,togeneratethisleveloffunding.Thisissimplyfarbeyondwhatcouldbeaskedofourcommunity.
Statefundinghasdecreasedduringthepastfew years, and Columbia Public Schools hasreducedmorethan$17millionfromitsbudgetinthesametimeframe.
Additionally, our current state legislativebody has indicated a reluctance to look atrevenue options such as raising cigarette andalcoholtaxes.Atleasttheyshouldbewillingtolookatequityinschoolfunding.Theinequityin school funding creates financial “winners”and “losers.” This is not fair for students, astheydonotdeterminethecitiesinwhichtheyreside.v
Chris Belcher
Belcher is superintendent of Columbia Public
Schools.
City View
Neighborhood response team brings improvements to city centerEveryonewants to live in a safe andwell-
maintained neighborhood. When houses onastreetare indisrepair, it lowers thevalueofotherhomesandencouragescriminalactivity.
Oneofthetoolsthecityhastoaddressthisissue in the central city is theNeighborhoodResponse Team. Comprised of a buildinginspector, anenvironmentalhealth specialist,a police officer and the city’s neighborhoodresponse coordinator, the NRT endeavors tobringpositivechange to theColumbia’s cen-tralcity.
In September of 1999, the NeighborhoodResponse Team was formed by the city ofColumbia to address neighborhood concernsinthecentralcity.ConsistingofrepresentativesfromPublicWorks,EnvironmentalHealthandPolice, the initial round of inspections tookplaceduringatwo-yearperiodintheRidgewayandDouglassParkneighborhoods.
Approximately 500 residential structureswere surveyed, with more than half of theproperties having significant property main-tenancecodeviolationssuchaspeelingpaint,deteriorating roofs and gutters and crackedfoundations. There were multiple environ-mental health violations as well, includingtrashanddebrisinyards,tiresandunlicensedvehicles.Throughcodeviolationsissuedbycityinspectors and property owners proactively
workingwiththecitytoabatetheseissues,thepercentageofpropertiesinthisareacompliantwithcitycodesisnowconsistentlymorethan80percent.
Sinceitsinceptionin1999,theNRT’sbound-aries have been expanded to include manyotherneighborhoodsincludingNorthCentral,East Campus and Benton-Stephens. Nearly3,500 residential properties are now surveyedonanannualbasis.Thepositionofneighbor-hoodresponsecoordinatorwascreatedin2001toorganizetheeffortsofthegroup.
In2010,theOfficeofNeighborhoodServiceswasformedandconsolidatedtheeffortsoftheNRTintoonedepartmentandexpandedwhattheNRT is able to accomplish. In addition totraditional code enforcement, theNRT proac-tively works with various neighborhoods oncleanup andhome improvement projects andencouragesneighborstoparticipateinanefforttobuildastrongersenseofcommunity.Theseeffortsdirectlysupportseveralgoalsandstrat-egies inColumbia’sVisionreport,asoutlinedby citizen topicgroups includingGovernanceand Decision Making, Community CharacterandDevelopment.
TheNRTbeganits10throundofresidentialproperty assessments on March 23. The cur-rent round of inspections will be conductedon aweeklybasis through the fall.Codevio-
lations seen fromthepublic rightofwaywillbe recorded, and thepropertyownerswillbeissued notices listing the violations and theactionsnecessary tobring thepropertiesbackintocompliance.Failure tocomplywith thesenoticeswill result in casesbeingprepared forprosecutioninmunicipalcourt.
Forthosehomeownerslackingthefinancialmeans tomake improvements andwhomeetfederalincomeguidelines,thecityhasmultipleprograms administeredby theDepartment ofPlanningandDevelopment.Fundingfortheseprograms comes from federal CommunityDevelopmentBlockGrantandHOMEfunds.
Examplesof theseprograms include theCodeDeficiencyAbatementProgram,whichis for correcting exterior code violationsin theNRT area, and theOwnerOccupiedRehabilitation Program, which provideslow-interestloanstoconductrenovationsofolderhomes.
Thecity’sWaterandLightDepartmentalsohasanexcellentlow-interestloanprogramformakingenergy-efficiencyimprovements.
Fordetailedinformationontheseandothercityprograms,please see thecity’swebsiteatwww.gocolumbiamo.com, or contact me at(573) 874-7248 or email [email protected]
Cantin is the city’s Neighborhood
Response coordinator.
Bill Cantin
10 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
RECEIPTS Hotel Tax Receipts Feb. 2011: $103,345Feb. 2010: $92,716Change (#): $10,629Change (%): 11.5%
1% Sales Tax Receipts Dec. 2010: $2.03 millionDec. 2009: $2.01 millionChange (#): $20,300Change (%): 1.0% LABOR Columbia Labor Force Feb. 2011: 96,094Feb. 2010: 94,086Change (#): 2,008Change (%): 2.1%
Unemployment Feb. 2011: 6,319Feb. 2010: 6,375Change (#): -56Change (%): -0.9%
Unemployment Rate Feb. 2011: 6.6%Feb. 2010: 6.8%Change (#): -0.2%
Missouri Labor Force Feb. 2011: 3,007,950Feb. 2010: 3,013,165Change (#): -5,215Change (%): -0.2%
Unemployment Feb. 2011: 297,589Feb. 2010: 315,681Change (#): -18,092Change (%): -5.7% Unemployment Rate Feb. 2011: 9.9%Feb. 2010: 10.5%Change (#): -0.6%
CONSTRUCTION Building Permits Residential Feb. 2011: 57Feb. 2010: 38Change (#): 19Change (%): 50.0% Value Feb. 2011: $14.5 millionFeb. 2010: $3.95 millionChange (#): $10.6 millionChange (%): 268%
Single-Family Homes Feb. 2011: 21Feb. 2010: 21Change (#): 0Change (%): 0.0% Value Feb. 2011: $3.6 millionFeb. 2010: $3.37 millionChange (#): $261,000Change (%): 7.7%
Commercial Feb. 2011: 18Feb. 2010: 9Change (#): 9Change (%): 100.0% Value Feb. 2011: $2.27 millionFeb. 2010: $2.41 millionChange (#): -$140,050Change (%): -5.8%
Commercial Additions/Alterations Feb. 2011: 15Feb. 2010: 9Change (#): 6Change (%): 66.7%
Value Feb. 2011: $2.1 millionFeb. 2010: $2.4 millionChange (#): -$303,050Change (%): -12.6%
HOUSINGBoone County Detached Single-Family HomesUnits Sold Feb. 2011: 68Feb. 2010: 85Change (#): -17Change (%): -20.0%
Volume Feb. 2011: $12.66 millionFeb. 2010: $13.81 millionChange (#): -$1.15 millionChange (%): -8.3%
Median Price of Home Sales Feb. 2011: $160,000Feb. 2010: $145,000Change (#): $15,000Change (%): 10.3%
Months of InventoryFeb. 2011: 13.12Feb. 2010: 12.88Change (#): 0.24Change (%): 1.9%
Foreclosures in Boone County Feb. 2011: 19
COLUMBIA REGIONAL AIRPORTPassengers on Arriving PlanesFeb. 2011: 2,228Feb. 2010: 1,953 Change (#): 275Change (%): 14.1% Passengers on Departing PlanesFeb. 2011: 2,303Feb. 2010: 2,014Change (#): 289Change (%): 14.3%
UTILITIES Water Customers Feb. 2011: 45,028Feb. 2010: 44,509Change (#): 519Change (%): 1.2%
Electric Customers Feb. 2011: 45,493Feb. 2010: 45,162Change (#): 331Change (%): 0.7%
Sewer Customers – Residential Feb. 2011: 40,736Feb. 2010: 40,275Change (#): 461Change (%): 1.1%
Sewer Customers – Commercial Feb. 2011: 3,641Feb. 2010: 3,532Change (#): 109Change (%): 3.1%
Contributors include: Laura Peveler, Karen Johnson, Sean Moore, Linda Rootes, Sarah Talbert and Lee Terry
Compiled by David Walle
Offering a variety of container sizes, from the gOliath 40 cubic yard to the handy 14 cubic yard models. Careful & courteous drivers can deliver your dumpster or roll-off container bright and early so you can start your day fast!
For a free quote or to schedule service, call us at 573-874-6291 or [email protected]
1313 lakeview ave. • Columbia, MO
One Call Hauls It All!
Columbia Roll-Off Service
ECONOMIC INDEx | INDICATORS
11 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
Locally Owned by Bill and Cathy SchuetteColumbia: 1901 Vandiver Dr, 573-474-4057 Jeff City: 1232 E. McCarty St, 573-634-2700
www.smartbusinessproducts.com
• New & Used, Buy or Lease
• Computerized Space Planning
• 4000 Square Foot Showroom
• Featuring Furniture by Herman Miller & HON
OFFICE FURNITURE
Serving Central MO For Over 25 Years
• Over 25,000 Items available
• Knowledgeable Staff
• Free Next Day Delivery
• No Minimum Order
• We BEAT “Superstore” Pricing
OFFICE SUPPLIES
By Annie Greenberg
The1stWardcandidates in theCityCouncilelectiononApril5areasdiverseastheareatheyhopetorepresent.
Atoolmaker,anaccountant,atranslatoranda community activist are running to replacePaul Sturtz in the 1stWard,which covers thedowntown business district, theMU campus,anartsdistrictandalargeareaoflow-incomeneighborhoods.
In the 5thWard, two lawyers are competingfor the seat vacatedbyLauraNauser in a rela-tively homogenous and affluent area of south-westColumbia.
The issues discussed during the campaignwere similar in the two wards, though theplannedconstructionofapowerlineisperhapsthemostdivisiveissueinthesouthwestregion.
At a recent candidate forum hosted by theNAACP,questionscenteredonimprovinginfra-
structure,creatingjobs,increasingdiversityingovernmentandhowtoensurethe1stWardisgiventhesamequalityofservicesastherestofthecity.
Accordingtothe2000U.S.Census,18per-centof the 84,531people living inColumbiaidentified themselves as non-white. In the1st Ward, 32 percent of respondents, or4,593 people, said they were black, NativeAmerican, Asian, Hawaiian, bi/multi-racialorother.
In the5thWard,only12percent, or 1,716people,identifiedasnon-white.Althoughthe1stWardcompriseslessthan17percentofthetotal population of Columbia, it is home toalmost30percentofrespondentswhodefinedthemselvesasbeingnon-white.
To help voters decide who to choose atthe polls nextweek, here is a breakdown ofthe Council candidates and some of theirpositions:
FIFTH WARDHelen Anthony | Planning Advocate• Member of the Planning and Zoning Commission for three
and a half years. Wants to make the current land-use policies and zoning regulations more user-friendly
• Although she would like new power lines to be buried, she isn’t sure that’s fiscally responsible.
• Says the city is perfectly positioned to become an “entrepreneurial hotbed”; supports efforts of REDI. During a Columbia Board of Realtors forum, she said the city should provide exactly the right amount of tax incentives to prospective businesses to ensure it doesn’t cost too much in the long run.
• According to her website, “while some see planning as a limit on growth, Helen sees it as an opportunity to build on the strengths of our community”; also says expanded infrastructure is necessary for future development.
• Worked as an attorney in Boston and was a member of a hospital board of trustees before moving to Columbia in 2003
• Top priorities: Planning for growth, economic progress and quality of life
• Raised $14,629 for her campaign as of Feb. 24
Glen Ehrhardt | Institutional Favorite• Endorsed by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, the
Columbia Police Officers’ Association and the Columbia Professional Fire Fighters Political Action Committee
• Opposes power lines being put into neighborhoods where they aren’t already in place
• Says the Council must “work to build bridges to attract economic growth, instead of creating barriers” and continue working with REDI to attract development
• Is the former chair of the Chamber of Commerce Governmental Affairs Committee and a board member of the Boys and Girls Club and Chamber of Commerce
• Has lived in Columbia for more than 30 years; law firm partner in Rogers, Ehrhardt & Weber
• Top priorities: Economic growth and job creation, decreasing crime and maintaining vitality of neighborhoods and parks
• Raised $7,185 for his campaign as of Feb. 24
FIRST WARDFred Schmidt | The Numbers Guy• Has money-management experience as a bond analyst on
Wall Street, a statistician for the Federal Reserve and the owner of an accounting firm with numerous small-business clients
• Describes current zoning and permit regulations as difficult, adding that the “community loses by unnecessary delays and complexity”
• Says the city must match willing people with training and jobs to curb unemployment in 1st Ward
• Is treasurer for the Missouri Bicycle Federation and Fun City, a member of the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Commission and a graduate of Rock Bridge High School
• Was the assistant treasurer for Karl Skala’s unsuccessful
reelection campaign for the 3rd Ward seat last April • Top priorities: Fixing the city budgeting process, creating
jobs, providing access to job training, improving public transit and increasing development
• Raised $8,547 for his campaign as of Feb. 24
Mitch Richards | Civil Liberties Champion• Says the city needs to cut down on bureaucracy and
“support local entrepreneurs by keeping government out of the way”
• Active member of Keep Columbia Free, which formed to fight against the proposition to install cameras downtown
• Opposed the Taser ban initiative and said it is a violation of the Second Amendment
• Endorsed by former 1st Ward Representative Almeta Crayton; local blog Columbiaheartbeat.com described him as a “young lion of liberty” for his support of privacy rights and government transparency and accountability.
• Has lived in Columbia for three and a half years; is self-employed as an English language coach and translator for French corporations
• Top priorities: Attracting jobs, dealing with city budget problems, decreasing crime
• Raised $690 for his campaign as of Feb. 24
Darrell Foster | Community Activist • Says downtown businesses owners enable polarization in
the city by not hiring minority employees• Member of the 1st Ward Ambassadors• Lived in Columbia for 18 years; works at Watlow Electric
Manufacturing Company • Was removed from the committee tasked with finding
a new Columbia police chief in 2008 because of prior criminal convictions
• Top priorities: Increasing diversity in downtown busi-nesses, which he says will improve safety by providing jobs for the unemployed in his ward, and improving infrastructure in the ward
• Had not raised enough money to have to disclose campaign contributions as of Feb. 24
Pamela Forbes | Voice of the Working Class• Cites experiences as a single mom as way she will “bring
the views of working class, lower and fixed-income families” to the Council
• Moved to Columbia in 1976; works as a toolmaker at Schneider Electric
• Member of the 1st Ward Community Development Commission
• Top priorities: Improving safety through at-risk youth mentorship, increasing access to opportunities for low-income residents and repairing infrastructure and housing in the 1st Ward
• Raised $995 for her campaign as of Feb. 24 v
Darrell FosterFred Schmidt Pam ForbesGlen Ehrhardt Mitch RichardsHelen Anthony
Candidates outline positions on issues facing Council
12 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
MFA Oil Company
We’d like your property to be next!
“Keeping it GREEN & GROWING”
Your Business
Here!
www.ColumbiaTurf.com • 7105 Henderson Rd., Columbia • Office: 573.443.5681 • Landscape Office: 573.449.7855
Canterbury HOA
M.S.H.S.A.A.
Columbia Orthopaedic Group“Professional Grounds Maintenance”
By Phil Leslie
“Ifnotnow,when?”Withthosewordsandtheairofconfidencetheyconvey,Dr.CharlesWiedmeyer
enteredtheworldofprivateenterprise.Aftermuchplanningandextensivediscus-sionswithseveralpeople—includinghiswife,Birgit—theresearchveterinarianstartedacommercialpathologylaboratory.
ComparativeClinicalPathologyServicesopenedinNovember2008atDiscoveryRidgeResearchParkoffU.S.Highway63.
“Looking back and considering the condition of our national economy atthe time, it's incredible to thinkImadethemovetoopenabusiness then,”saidWiedmeyer,aveterinaryclinicalpathologist.“ButIwasready.”
CCPSisdesignedforaneedWiedmeyerfrequentlyencounteredduringhisfirst15years in thefield.Thatneedcame fromavarietyof sources thatgenerateanincreasingdemandforresearchanimalpathologyservices.
FromthetimehewasayoungboyinsuburbanChicago,Wiedmeyerenvisionedacareeratsmallanimalveterinarypractice.Aftercompletingabachelor'sdegreeinbiologyatSouthernIllinoisUniversityatCarbondale,hewentontoearndoc-toratedegreesinveterinarymedicineandveterinarypathologyattheUniversityofIllinois.Itwasinthatfieldthathefoundhistruecalling.
“During my graduate studies, I was inspired by one of my professors, JoeDorner,todevotemyenergiestoveterinaryclinicalpathology,”Wiedmeyersaid.
After completing a residency in clinical pathology at theU of I,Wiedmeyerjoinedthefacultyat theUniversityofMissouri'sCollegeofVeterinaryMedicinein2001.
Asaclinicalpathologyprofessor,hesawtheneedfortimely,reliableprocessingof research animal blood samples.Research labs around the country—at suchplacesaspharmaceuticalfirms,universities, contract researchorganizationsandzoos—allneededpathologyservices.
SoWiedmeyer startedexploringhow to starthisowncommercialpathologylaboratory.
“ItwasintheentrepreneurialspiritadvocatedbytheuniversitythatIbegantothink,‘Whydon'tIdothismyself?’”saidtheenterprisingresearcher.
By2007,WiedmeyerwasseriousenoughabouthisideathathetookittoJimGann,abusiness counselorat theSmallBusinessandTechnologyDevelopmentCenterofMU'sCollegeofEngineering.
“AfterIdescribedmyidea,Jimsortofrolledhiseyesasiftosay,‘Howareyougoingtoworkthisout?’”Wiedmeyersaid.
DuringaseriesofmeetingswithGann,theveterinarianandhisbusinesscoun-selordiscussedthemanyfactorsrequiredtostartthebusinesssuchasfinancing,managementandbusinessplanning.
Comparative Clinical Pathology ServicesPathologist creates commercial lab at Discovery Ridge
Veterinary clinical pathologist Chuck Wiedmeyer started his Columbia-based commercial laboratory, Comparative Clinical Pathology Services, in November 2008.
PH
OT
OS
FR
OM
MU
13 April 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | C
olumbiaB
usinessTimes.com
The largest piece of equipment in the lab is an automated clinical chemistry analyzer, which the company leases. Specimen receptacles must be removed and thoroughly cleaned after every use.
To address the business plan,Wiedmeyer secured the talents of fiveMBA students atMU'sCollegeofBusiness.Soontheplanwasonpaper.
Next,heshowedittothepresidentofabankinColumbia,whowasimpressed.However,afterlengthydeliberationwithhiswife,Wiedmeyerdecidedtobypassabusinessloan.
Insteadhechosetotakeahomeequitylineofcreditonhishouse.Birgitagreed,withthecaveatthat if thebusinesswentsouthandthey lost theirhouse,“we'llbemoving inwithmyparents.”(Althoughheadmireshisin-laws,theprospectoflivingwiththemofferedWiedmeyerextraincen-tivetosucceedinbusiness.)
Theentrepreneuremploysthreelabtechnicianswhoprocessblood,plasmaandurineresearchsamplesas soonas theshipmentsarriveat the lab.Hepayshis techswell in return forprompt,accurateandcost-effectivework.
Hisapproachtobusiness issummedupbyonesimplequestion:“What ismybusinessdoingbetterthanacompetitor?”Histhreeanswers:“Weofferourcustomersacompetitiveprice.Wegivethemtimelyservice.AndIpersonallyofferexpertinterpretationoftheresults,whichiscriticalforourcustomersandtheirresearch.”
AtthispointWiedmeyersaidhisventurehasarrivedatastagehecanhandle.CCPSturnedaprofititsfirstyearandsawa37percentincreaseinrevenuethesecond.The$26,000lineofcreditheborrowedin2008waspaidoffintwoyears,sotheWiedmeyer'shomeissafelyintheirpossession.
BecausehehasincomefromhisprimaryjobasamemberofMU'svetschoolfaculty,Wiedmeyertakesnosalaryfromhisbusinessventure.Heplowstheprofitsbackintothefirmtobuyvitalequip-ment,suchasarecentlypurchasedbloodcoagulationanalyzer.
HeandBirgit,whorunsherownbusinessasafreelanceinterpreterandtranslatorandservesashisfirm’sbookkeeper,paythebillsonthelastdayofeverymonth.Inadditiontotheemployeepay-checksandstandardbusinessexpenses,theypaytherenttoRADIL,theResearchAnimalDiagnosticLaboratoryatMU'sDiscoveryRidgeResearchParkinsouthColumbia.TheyalsopayRADILfeesformarketingandadministrativeprocessingofeachsampleCCPSanalyzes.Thissymbioticrelation-shipisbeneficialtobothparties.
“It'sagoodarrangementforourcurrentneeds,”Wiedmeyersaid.“Sofar,it'sgonemuchbetterthanIanticipated.IsupposealotofthecreditgoestotheplanningandpreparationImadebeforeIopenedthebusiness.AndalotofthatpreparationcamefrommytalkswithJimGann.Ivaluehisadviceandcontinuetoseekhiscounselwhenquestionsarise,whichhappensoften.”v
For more information: [email protected], www.compclinpath.comThis story was featured in the March 2011 Missouri.net newsletter.
By Courtney Shove
Glascock acknowledged that no plans have been made to acquire any of the property shown in maps he presented in February but added that he was doing what the Council wanted. “The Council basically asked, ‘Knowing what you know today, where would you start?’” he said. “And that’s basically what we came up with. We would like to do the monitoring before we do anything like that. … We don’t want to be buying things we don’t need to buy.”
Glascock was referring to the EPA’s recommendation that the city monitor and assess the water quality in Hinkson Creek, one of the sticking points in the negotiations between federal and state regulators and the three parties in the court-ordered creek cleanup: the city, Boone County and MU.
The county and university are considering whether to join the city in its plan to appeal two aspects of the regulations known as a TMDL, or Total Maximum Daily Load: The first
is a percentage related to aquatic life, and the second is the deadline for implementing the EPA plan: three to five years.
The county’s stormwater coordinator, Georganne Bowman, said 20 years would be more realistic. Glascock es-timated that no work on projects will likely begin until the initial round of water monitoring is finished in 2013, a po-sition challenged by Ken Midkiff, who represents the envi-ronmental groups that filed the lawsuit that led to the EPA cleanup plan.
The county, meanwhile, is already taking the first steps to reducing stormwater runoff. Using a recent three-year, $713,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources, the county is partnering with the city and Missouri River Communities Network to begin implementing stormwater “best management practices.”
With the funding, Bowman said, the county will do some water-quality monitoring, implement BMPs at Sunrise Estates subdivision and create a subwatershed at Grindstone Creek, which flows into the Hinkson.
Time Keeps TickingAfter the EPA issued its
final polution-control plan for the Hinkson Creek,
proposed projects for reducing stormwater flow
are off to a slow start.
ph
ot
os
By
au
gu
st
kr
yg
er
is a percentage related to aquatic life, and the second is the deadline for implementing the EPA plan: three to five years.
The county’s stormwater coordinator, Georganne Bowman, said 20 years would be more realistic. Glascock es-timated that no work on projects will likely begin until the initial round of water monitoring is finished in 2013, a po-sition challenged by Ken Midkiff, who represents the envi-ronmental groups that filed the lawsuit that led to the EPA cleanup plan.
The county, meanwhile, is already taking the first steps to reducing stormwater runoff. Using a recent three-year, $713,000 grant from the Department of Natural Resources, the county is partnering with the city and Missouri River Communities Network to begin implementing stormwater “best management practices.”
With the funding, Bowman said, the county will do some water-quality monitoring, implement BMPs at Sunrise Estates subdivision and create a subwatershed at Grindstone Creek, which flows into the Hinkson.
Time Keeps TickingThe land on which pillars for a bridge crossing Hinkson Creek sit is eroding because of flash flooding and little in place to stop the erosion.
Hinkson Creek originates in northeastern Boone County and flows southwest through Columbia before joining Perche Creek, which then flows south into the Missouri River. The Public Works Department has outlined a stormwater "treatment area" that roughly parallels the creek's watershed within the city limits. Within that area is a proposed wetland and more than a dozen possible sites for retention basins, which are basically ponds that let water percolate into the watershed rather than flowing directly into the creek. The area east of the proposed wetland is the perimeter of a proposed watershed basin section divided into four parts, each with a small dam and reservoir.
The county’s stormwater coordinator, Georganne Bowman, said 20 years
would be more realistic. Glascock estimated that no work on projects will
likely begin until the initial round of water monitoring
is finished in 2013, a position challenged by Ken Midkiff, who represents the environmental groups that filed the lawsuit that led to
the EPA cleanup plan.
(continued on Page 16)
gr
ap
hic
By
sa
ra
h M
or
ris
16 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
On April 13, Glascock plans to meet with City Council to talk about a proposed increase in stormwa-ter charges that would help pay for Hinkson projects. A utility rate increase would have to be approved by the Council in May and voters in August if the ballot issue moves forward.
Glascock pointed out during his work-session pre-sentation that the city had no money allocated to the projects. City officials have estimated that implement-ing the TMDL could cost more than $100 million.
But even if the city had the money, Alspaugh said he wouldn’t sell his property so the city could turn it
into a wetland that slows the flow of water into the Hinkson.
The AlspAugh Creek BoTTom“What would I do with $5 million dollars?”
Alspaugh, a retired MU professor, asked, as if the an-swer were as pat as what he ate for breakfast.
Flanked by Scotch pine trees he’s planted over the years, Alspaugh said he’s not interested in selling the land he’s owned for about 30 years. And even if he were willing to sell, Alspaugh said it doesn’t make any sense for the city to turn it into a water retention basin.
“The truth of the matter is water does not run up-hill,” he said of his elevated property. “And I don’t know how you get the water out of Hinkson Creek beyond to the farm, except when it’s flash flooding.” He said it makes more sense for the city to build a dam across Hinkson Creek by the landfill, which the city already owns.
“On the other hand, they don’t want to do some-thing that requires maintenance, and I don’t know how they’re going to do anything of any significance that doesn’t require maintenance,” Alspaugh said.
Two subdivisions have been built near Alspaugh's property, which adds to the industrial development upstream, he said. Rather than slowly percolating into the soil, rainwater flows off roofs, parking lots, roads and lawns and increases the direct flow into the creek. That, Alspaugh said, has caused the Hinkson to widen significantly and tear down bordering trees.
Alspaugh, a statistician who still teaches one course at the university, said he spent 10 to 12 hours reading the Hinkson Creek TMDL. He was impressed with the data presentation and came to understand how the EPA came up with the requirement that the city, county and MU reduce stormwater flow into the Hinkson by 40 percent.
"This water used to run clear," John Alspaugh said of the algea-choked water running into Hinkson Creek that travels along sewer lines.
Hinkson Creek ... continued from page 16
ph
ot
o B
y a
ug
us
t k
ry
ge
r
17 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
(continued on Page 18)
Jason Hubbart, an MU hydrologist leading a team of scientists developing a monitoring project for the Hinkson’s entire watershed, explained it in lay terms: “The idea is, since we don’t know what the pollutants are, we’re going to just shut down the valve so that less pollutants are theoretically being transported. That (reduction) figure was estimated from examining rainfall runoff relationships in other watersheds.”
Alspaugh brought the issue down to concrete terms: “We’re going to have to do something about all the flash flooding from all the rooftops and the build-ings, and I should tell you that the flash flooding is a lot worse at our place now than it used to be. There’s 3M and Square D and Columbia Foods, and there’s all kinds of runoff from the industrial development on Route B that comes down Hinkson Creek.”
moniToring Creek wATer
Glascock said the first step, the first phase of imple-menting the TMDL, is to assess what he referred to as the creek’s biocommunity.
The water monitoring must be done, he said, “in the spring and the fall, and, of course, by the time we’d have a contract, spring will be over. Somewhere around the spring of ’13, we hope to have enough data to make some determinations.”
Until the monitoring is well underway and fund-ing is secured, the city will do “probably nothing” in regard to major projects designed to improve the health of the creek, Glascock said.
Midkiff, conservation chair of Sierra Club’s Osage Group, questioned the city’s motives because the data already exists. Midkiff said he received Hinkson water-quality data through 2010 for free from Susan Higgins at Missouri Department of Natural Resources.
“I think they’re going to be shopping for a firm that will give them better data that shows that Hinkson
Creek is not impaired,” he said of city officials. “I think they’re going to be data shopping.
Midkiff said there are a number of certified and qualified stream teams along Hinkson Creek. “I think $100,000 that Glascock is willing to set aside for mac-roinvertebrate monitoring is just throwing away tax-payers’ money because the stream teams do that vol-untarily at no charge.”
When asked why the city, county and MU aren’t using stream team data to guide their cleanup efforts, Bowman said some of the data can be used, but most of it isn’t specific enough.
“Remember science (class) when you had to go down to genus species?” she asked rhetorically. “The stream team data for the most part goes to family, so we’re paying someone to take that down to genus species. By doing that, we get a much clearer idea of how many invertebrates are in each category, whether they’re tolerant of pollution or whether they’re not tolerant.”
And what about Hubbart’s study? In 2008, with $2 million in federal grants, Hubbart and a team of graduate students began gathering water-quality data at five different stations along the stream. The remain-ing funds will keep the project going for about two more years, according to Hubbart.
After the final TMDL plan came out in January, the city contacted him about potentially partnering on the project, Hubbart said, and in March he sent the city an official proposal.
“If they partner with me, then they’re going to get access to those data, and we’ll work together to moni-tor Hinkson Creek over time,” Hubbart said, “so we can actually quantify the results of changes in devel-opment practices.”
whAT would sTormwATer reduCTions CosT?
Steve Hunt, Columbia’s environmental services manager, said a study funded through a federal Clean Water Act grant identified 20 stormwater “hot spots” between Interstate 70 and Broadway. The study per-formed by The Civil Group estimated that it would cost $1.1 million to reduce stormwater flow from all of the hot spots, and that doesn’t include the cost of buying land.
The city estimates that it would cost $100,000 a year to have specialists monitor the creek’s water quality.
In the February work session, Glascock said the goal is to restore the floodplain and natural cover to the watershed, but the Council would have to pass an ordinance restricting floodplain development. Restoring natural cover is costly upfront, Glascock said, but cheaper in the long run compared to engi-neering structures that have high maintenance costs. “We want to do it as naturally as possible,” he said.
The ability to put any plans in motion hinges on whether citizens approve a stormwater utility rate increase in August. Glascock said he won’t know the amount of the proposed increase until he meets with City Council on April 13.
If the utility revenue is increased, the first ac-tions would be to create water retention basins on
When asked why the city, county and MU aren’t using stream team data to guide their cleanup efforts, Bowman
said some of the data can be used, but most of it isn’t specific enough.
18 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
city-owned properties, Glascock said. “You could do something at Twin Lakes; you could do something, along Stephens Park … possibly even in Lions Park,” he said. “We could do things at the landfill, those kind of places to start with.”
John Ikerd, professor emeritus of agricultural eco-nomics at MU, said a stormwater utility increase is reasonable, especially because the health of the stream is linked to human health.
“If (people) don’t want to help pay to clean it up, then they should support the people that regulate the development and keep the pollution out of the stream in the first place,” he said. “It’s up to the people of Columbia to decide what type of community they want to live in.”
Midkiff said he’s not sure a utility increase is nec-essary, especially with so many effective, low-cost, low-tech ways for the city and its citizens to reduce stormwater runoff.
If 1,000 people each built a rain garden, the city could realize about the same amount of stormwater reduction as the city’s proposed $300 million plan, he said.
The city helped to create some of the stormwater problems by letting contractors for developments such as the Walmart Supercenter on Grindstone build huge impervious parking lots, he added.
“The Walmart Supercenter (has) an enormous paved parking lot,” he said. “And they could just go out and cut some holes in the parking lot and let the rainwater seep into the gravel under the parking lot
rather than running off immediately into Hinkson Creek.”
Ikerd doesn’t see the issue as quite so cut and dry. “I think what we’re dealing with here is a very com-plex system, a natural ecosystem, which a watershed is,” he said. “You can’t take it apart piece by piece like a machine and say, ‘Well, this is this faulty part, and we’re going to replace that part, and then the whole thing will be fixed.’ It’s all interrelated.”
Hubbart said he agrees with the city’s decision to appeal the TMDL’s five-year implementation require-ment, which he called “pretty unlikely.”
Bowman, the stormwater coordinator, said the county supports the city’s appeal of the TMDL time-line and requirement that all samples adhere to the prescribed water-quality level 100 percent of time.
“We have talked to other communities around the country,” she said. “San Diego has numerous TMDLs in their watershed, and they have a 20-year implemen-tation schedule rather. That’s much more realistic, and so that’s what we’ll be pushing for — something on that level, 20 to 30 years.”
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources, which is the EPA’s implementation arm, is flexible about the deadlines, Renee Bungart, the deputy com-munications director, said.
“Implementation of TMDLs is a long-term process; there’s no set time frame,” she said. “There’s nothing that says, ‘This has to be finished and improved and finished by X date.’ It doesn’t work that way.”
On the timing issue, Midkiff gave some ground: “Hinkson Creek didn’t get polluted overnight; it’s not going to get unpolluted overnight either.” v
This story was funded in part by the community at Spot.Us, a nonprofit news operation that supports independent journalism.
John Alspaugh is a retired University of Missouri professor. He said city improvements are
compromising the land and water of Hinkson Creek. He said sewer improvements could
further damage the creek bottom.
19 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
PUBLIC RECORDBoone County deeds of trust worth more than $160,000 from March 8 through March 14.
$17,451,515CAMPUS CREST AT COLUMBIA LLCBANK OF OKLAHOMALT 1 GROVE AT COLUMBIA PLAT NO 1 THE
$1,605,000 HAKER PROPERTIES LLCCOMMERCE BANKLT 26 ROCKBRIDGE ESTATES SUB BLK 3
$724,000HAKER PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLCCOMMERCE BANKLT 35 ROCKBRIDGE ESTATES SUB BLK 3
$715,200SWINDLE, JASON & SARAHMETLIFE HOME LOANSLT 154 SPRING CREEK PLAT NO 1
$500,000BAKER FAMILY TRUST THECOMMERCE BANKLT 199 HERITAGE ESTATES PLAT NO 2
$480,000STURGES, DURWOOD D & CINDY BLANDMARK BANKSTR 27-48-14 //W SUR BK/PG: 1570/185 AC 10.01
$342,599 CRICCHIO, JOSEPH A & MARYLYN HMORTGAGE INVESTORS CORPSTR 35-47-13 /N/SW SUR BK/PG: 1748/576 AC 10.420
$325,000 SCANLON, JAMES H & LORI JMISSOURI CREDIT UNIONLT 24 PL 2 SOUTHFORK LAKE SUB
$312,000 HEDRICK, JASON J & EMILY ACALLAWAY BANK THELT 14 ROLLING ACRES SUB
$301,500 BONDURANT, CHARLES P & HOLLY HBANK OF AMERICASTR 24-48-12 //SE SUR BK/PG: 1068/303
$267,000 AHOLT, DENNIS R & CRYSTAL AHAWTHORN BANKSTR 25-49-14 //NE SUR BK/PG: 3628/108 AC 10.010
$236,946 KEMPF, TRAVIS J & JESSICA EFLAT BRANCH MORTGAGE INCSTR 31-50-11 /SE/NE SUR BK/PG: 479/84 FF TRACTS 1
$236,643 CUNNINGHAM, MICHAEL AMORTGAGE ELECTRONIC REGIS-TRATION SYSTEMS INCLT 26 MILL CREEK MANOR PLAT NO 1
$230,000 GROSSNICKLE, GARY E & JOYCE EBOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANKLT 21A COUNTRY CLUB VILLAS REPLAT LOT 21
$216,000STRATHAUSEN, CARSTENLANDMARK BANKSTR 14-48-13 /NW/SE SUR BK/PG: 263/254 FF TRACT 1
$191,250HIRTH, JOHN ANDREW & KERRY MULVANIAMISSOURI CREDIT UNIONLT 1 PL 2 HOFMANN SUB BLK 2
$179,500THOMPSON, V ERIC & HULL, MAR-GARET MBOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANKLT 122 ARBOR FALLS PLAT NO 1
$170,563 WHITE, ANDREW JFLAGSTAR BANKLT 78 GEORGETOWN WEST PLAT NO 3
$170,050 ROTHER, RICHARD JOHN III & SUSAN PAIGECENTRAL TRUST BANKLT 1 SUNSET MEADOWS PLAT NO 1
$168,750 G L & D LLCMID AMERICA MORTGAGE SER-VICES INCLT 7 INSCORE SUBDIVISION PLAT NO 4
$160,000 VAVRA, PATRICK J & SARAH EWEST COMMUNITY CREDIT UNIONLT 128A MADISON PARK PLAT NO 5
Voluntary Action Center hosted its 2011 Trivia Night on March 3 at the Knights of Columbus Hall. A crowd of 175 people attend-ed and showed how knowledgeable they were about a variety of categories. The event raised $5,000 to help VAC continue provid-ing family assistance and emergency services to Boone County's low-income residents.
VAC trivia night
The winning team, the Hot Trivia Tamales, was made up of employees and friends of Landmark Bank. Winning team members were Marty Wohlgemuth, Dan Gieseke, Marianne Tegerdine, Leigh Head, Jordan Walters, Patrick Tray, Holly Gieseke and VAC board member Susan Gowin.
20 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
SPECIAL SECTION
By Dianna Borsi O’Brien
The historic building on North 10th Street downtown, where people once pumped iron at Gold’s Gym and then Key Largo, will soon become the site of a remarkably different workout.
Atkins Investments is renovating the ca. 1907 building and plans to finish the “cou-ple of million dollar project” by 2012, Scott Atkins said. Demolition work inside the three-story building is underway, as is the search for tenants.
“We really think the second and third floors would make great office spaces,” Atkins said, noting the building could pro-vide 3,000-square-foot to 5,500-square-foot spaces. They’ve already received several in-quiries, he said.
Huge windows will once again grace the fronts of all three levels, which, when com-bined with the tall ceilings, will give the building great natural light, Atkins said. “It lends itself to loft office spaces and loft apartments.”
The final mix of office space or apartments will be driven by tenants’ needs and what best suits the building, he said.
Deb Sheals, the historic preservation consul-tant on the project, called the red-brick structure a diamond in the rough. The building is one of the taller historic buildings downtown and a link to one of Columbia’s oldest businesses, the Parker Funeral Home.
The building began life as the Parker Furniture Store, which moved there from 700 E. Broadway. At the time, it was common for fur-niture stores to double as casket makers, Sheals
said. “Furniture companies quite often became undertakers.”
Eventually, the company phased out the furniture portion of its business and moved next door as Parker Funeral Home, where it re-mains. In 1954, the building was occupied by McLaughlin Furniture Store. Then in 1971, it was remodeled to house the Harzfeld Clothing Store. Key Largo Fitness and Tanning bought Gold’s Gym in 2007 and moved out of the building in December 2008, according to Michelle Wagner of Key Largo.
Parker building getting history-friendly Atkins family touch
ph
ot
o B
y a
ug
us
t k
ry
ge
r
The outside storefront of the former Gold's Gym site.
21 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
SPECIAL SECTION | CommerCIaL reaL estate & ConstrUCtIonSheals said the renovation will remove the 1971-era marble slabs from the
front and replace the inappropriate windows with historic, energy-efficient windows.
Sheals pointed out that the Atkins firm, a partnership of Scott and his father, Tom, led the movement to renovate historic downtown buildings, starting with what’s now called the Atkins Centre on Ninth Street just south of Cherry Street.
“They showed that historic preservation could be good business,” Sheals said. John Ott had already renovated the building that now houses My Secret
Garden, but the Atkins’ Ninth Street project, Sheals said, demonstrated the use-fulness of Missouri’s historic tax credits, which give investors 25 percent back on approved costs of renovating qualifying buildings. These incentives are helpful but, Sheals said, “far, far from a handout, sometimes painfully so.” In fact, she noted, historic renovations can prove more expensive than building from scratch.
So why do the Atkins do such projects? Two reasons: history and economics.Scott Atkins noted his family has been in Columbia since the mid-1800s. In
an earlier interview, his father, Tom, said the renovations make long-term sense. The Atkins have renovated four other buildings, including the Hamilton-Brown Shoe Factory at 1123 Wilkes Blvd., the former Strollway Center on 111 S. Ninth, the Miller Shoe Building at 800 E. Broadway and the Matthews Building at 804 E. Broadway.
The economic benefit stems from the fact that the renovations can yield higher occupancy rates.
For example, prior to the Strollway’s renovation, occupancy rate was 50 per-cent. Now it’s 100 percent, Tom Atkins said. The Hamilton-Brown building went from being half empty to being fully occupied.
But the main reason, Scott Atkins said, is that historic renovations feel good. Sometimes he and his father get to reclaim somewhat unknown history.
At one time, wooden propellers and recreation equipment were made in the Hamilton-Brown, and now they have some of the propellers and even a few sport items made there on display in the building.
During the renovation of the Hamilton-Brown building, they also found some remnants of its former life as a shoe factory, including some old shoe soles.
So far, no such findings have turned up at the 10th Street location. v
Dianna O’Brien is a freelance journalist who blogs about Columbia’s historic places at columbiahistoricplaces.com
111 S. Ninth St. now the atkins City Centre, it was built in 1911 as the Virginia Building. However, prior to its renovation by the atkins, it was known as the strollway Center. Until 1961, it was also called the montgomery Ward Building because it housed that department store until it moved to a new location. today, it houses a variety of retail stores. the building is on the national register of Historic Places and Columbia’s notable Properties List. note, the Columbia Commercial Club, the forerunner of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, was originally housed in the building, according to the nrHP document.
800 E. Broadway now this building houses the sycamore restaurant. It was built in 1910 as the miller Building and once housed a shoe store. It also houses Jon’s Pipe shop, Grove Construction, Full stream and apartments. It was named to the national register of Historic Places in 2003 as part of the eighth & Broadway Historic District and Columbia’s notable Properties List in 2002.
804 E. Broadway It now houses the Geisha sushi Bar, the Peace nook and apartments. It was built around 1894 and named the matthews Building. the building was named to the national register of Historic Places in 2003, as part of the eighth & Broadway Historic District and Columbia’s notable Properties List in 2002.
1123 Wilkes Blvd. now an office building, it was built in 1906-1907 for the Hamilton-Brown shoe Factory, which was part of efforts by city boosters to bring industry to Columbia. the Commercial Club, the forerunner of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, raised funds to build the building. In 1917, the club signed the property over to Hamilton-Brown, according to the national register of Historic Places document, which led to the building being placed on the nrHP in 2002. the shoe factory did weather the Depression but closed in 1939. the building then continued in use for manufacturing into the early 1960s for wooden airplane propellers during World War II and then by the ar-Cel Garment Factory, according to the nrHP document. In 2003, it was named to the Columbia’s notable Properties List.
ATKINS’ RENOVATIONS
22 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
SPECIAL SECTION | CommerCIaL reaL estate & ConstrUCtIon
The amount of vacant commercial space in metropolitan Columbia has declined slightly in the past three years, according to an annual report compiled by Paul Land, principal/owner of Plaza Commercial Realty.
Commercial vacancy rates have increased nationally as the economic downturn caused businesses to close and construction to stagnate, but Land’s report shows that Columbia’s vacancy rates actually declined in 2010 as the inventory stayed about the same and there was some business growth.
“While the first two quarters of the calendar year had many of the same charac-teristics and challenges of 2009, activity in the third quarter and the fourth quarter increased substantially,” Land wrote in his introduction. “This allowed for the mar-ket to achieve incremental improvements in actual occupancy levels for retail, office and industrial categories. This stabilization … was linked to the continued lack of speculative construction projects and price erosion relative to previous years.” v
The Paul Land Commercial Use Report: 2010
CoLuMBiA ReTAiL SuMMARy
CoLuMBiA inDuSTRiAL SuMMARy
CoLuMBiA offiCe SuMMARy
gr
ap
hs
co
ur
te
sy
of
pa
ul l
an
d
23 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
SPECIAL SECTION | CommerCIaL reaL estate & ConstrUCtIon
DATe of BuiLDinG PeRMiT ADDReSS oWneR VALuATion TyPe of PRoJeCT
6/2/10 2810 LeMone industrial Little Dixie Construction Co. $10,000,000 new iBM building
8/4/10 1600 e. Pointe Auto-owners insurance Company $4,000,000 new commercial offices
4/14/10 1401 e. Gans City of Columbia $3,300,000 new Public Works
11/2/10 1600 e. Broadway Reinhardt Wilson Joint Venture $3,200,000 new Boone Hospital parking garage
12/3/10 220 S. 10th Trittenbach Development LLC $3,000,000 new multi-family 5 or more units
12/27/10 3710 Lenoir Lutheran Senior Services $2,800,000 Commercial alteration non-residential
9/22/10 1306 Hathman nH Scheppes & Dist Co. $2,500,000 Commercial addition non-residential
11/15/10 1510 Chapel Hill Columbia Residential LLC $1,770,300 new commercial medical
8/17/10 807 W. Business Loop 70 Business Loop Development LLC $1,650,000 new commercial stores
2/17/10 2102 n. Garth Coil Construction inc. $1,600,000 Commercial addition non-residential
12/7/10 3300 Paris GD & n Development LLC $1,590,000 new commercial stores
8/30/10 821 Hillsdale City of Columbia Water & Light $1,396,890 new commercial public works
2/15/11 3160 Rock Quarry Campus Crest Construction $1,330,705 new multi-family 5 or more units
2/15/11 3240 Rock Quarry Campus Crest Construction $1,330,705 new multi-family 5 or more units
9/29/10 805 Richmond Coil Construction inc. $1,300,000 Commercial alteration non-residential
8/31/10 1201 Paquin Columbia Housing Authority $1,200,000 Commercial alteration non-residential
9/7/10 1508 Chapel Hill Columbia Residential LLC $1,200,000 new commercial medical
1/3/11 1512 Highlands Kirk General inc. $1,100,000 new single-family detached
2/15/11 3200 Rock Quarry Campus Crest Construction $1,004,830 new multi-family 5 or more units
11/2/10 20 Bourn Aaron W. Smith $1,000,000 new commercial offices
11/11/10 3215 Wingate Trittenbach Development LLC $1,000,000 new commercial offices
City's largest commercial construction projects
24 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
✓ Professional Drywall and Texture Repair, Re-paints & Touch-ups
✓Power Wash: Siding, Gutters, Sidewalks, Patios, Driveways and Retaining Walls
✓Chemical Roof Cleaning ✓Tuck-pointing, Masonry Repair & Waterproofing ✓Concrete Patching, Replacement and Crack Repair ✓Repair Roof Leaks, Repair or Replace Chimney /
Roof Flashing ✓Professional Caulking, Sealing & Waterproofing ✓Install, Adjust or Repair Décor, Dislays & Shelving
✓Install, Replace or Repair Drop Ceiling Framework, Ceiling Tile, Light Ballast & Light Lenses
✓Wall Tile, Wainscot, Slat Board and FRP replacement & Repair
✓Re-lamping & Energy Retrofits ✓Restroom Partition Installation, Adjustment
and/or Repair ✓Commercial Floor Covering Installation and/or Repair ✓Tile Re-grouting and Sealing / Epoxy Grouting ✓Repair or Adjust Troublesome Doors, Door Closures,
Continuous Hinges & Panic Bars
Most Requested Commercial Services
NOTICE OF PUBLIC SALE OF COLLATERALDefault has been made under the terms of the Commercial Security Agreement dated March 26, 2010, executed by Bristol Development Group, LLC as Debtor (hereinafter the “Debtor”) and Sapp-Bristol Management Group, LLC as Secured Party (hereinafter the “Secured Party”), said Commercial Security Agreement securing the payment of all indebtedness of Debtor to Secured Party. The Commercial Security Agreement grants to Secured Party a security in-terest in all promissory notes, accounts receivable, bonds, and other debts, liabilities and obligations payable to Debtor by Gans Road and U.S. 63 Transportation Development District (the “Collateral”). The security interest granted to Secured Party was perfected by the filing of a UCC-1 Financing Statement in the office of the Secretary of State of Missouri on March 26, 2010, as Filing Number 20100031230C. The Collateral includes certain promissory notes executed by Gans Road and U.S. 63 Transportation Development District payable to Debtor in the aggregate principal amount of $4,261,730.83 (the “TDD Notes”) which are in the pos-session of Secured Party. The TDD Notes are not registered securities. Specifically, the TDD Notes, listed by date and original principal amount, are as follows:
Note 1 May 3, 2010 $14,669.45Note 2 April 1, 2010 $14,669.45Note 3 March 1, 2010 $14,669.45Note 4 February 1, 2010 $14,669.45Note 5 December 31, 2009 $14,669.45Note 6 December 2, 2009 $14,669.45Note 7 November 2, 2009 $14,669.45Note 8 October 2, 2009 $14,669.45Note 9 September 1, 2009 $14,669.45Note 10 August 3, 2009 $14,669.45Note 11 July 2, 2009 $14,669.45Note 12 June 2, 2009 $14,669.45Note 13 May 5, 2009 $14,669.45Note 14 April 1, 2009 $48,929.10Note 15 January 21, 2008 $119,831.21Note 16 November 21, 2007 $241,166.37Note 17 November 19, 2007 $3,200,438.00Note 18 August 30, 2007 $159,000.00Note 19 June 20, 2007 $164,848.10Note 20 May 30, 2007 $136,815.20
Total $4,261,730.83
Because of said default, Secured Party will, on Monday, April 11, 2011, at the hour of 1:30 p.m., foreclose the security interest in the TDD Notes by conducting a public sale and auction of the TDD Notes described above, by selling and assigning the TDD Notes to the highest bidder, at the south front door of the Boone County Courthouse in the City of Columbia, Boone County, Missouri, to satisfy said Note and costs. The assignment of the TDD Notes to the high bidder will be without recourse to the Secured Party. The Secured Party intends to make a bid for the TDD Notes at said sale and auction by bidding in a portion of the secured indebtedness. Any other parties who are successful bidders will be required to pay the amount of their bids to Secured Party within one hour of the conclusion of the sale and auction by cashier’s check, wire transfer or other means acceptable to Secured Party. Bruce H. Beckett, as attorney for Secured Party, will conduct the sale on behalf of the Secured Party. For more information about the sale and auction or the TDD Notes, interested bidders may contact Bruce H. Beckett directly at 573-443-3141.
Smart Thinking » Cathy atkins
Knowledge is PowerI hate writing these articles sometimes. It’s the times when I sit and stare at a blank computer screen and wait for cre-
ative genius to start flowing that I find absolutely agonizing. What can I write about that will make a difference to the person reading?What information can I share that they haven’t heard before?Will they actually take my advice to heart?What do I have to say that will
be new, unique, motivating, that will break through someone’s men-tal defenses and cause a light to shine in revelation?
What can I write that won’t be boring, that won’t put you to sleep?
Perhaps I’m putting too much pressure on myself. The only thing I can control is what I write. I can’t control your reaction to reading it — or even whether you actually do. All I can focus on is doing my part to the best of my ability.
Believe it or not, it reminds me of making sales calls. I’ve coached literally hundreds of salespeople during the past 11 years, most of
whom have a natural fear of some aspect of the sales process. Whether it’s making cold calls, asking for money or closing the sale, the fear of what they can’t control clouds what they can. Their thoughts run amuck with fears of how the prospect will respond. At the end of the day, one person can’t control another person’s re-sponse. (OK, so you probably can, but those tactics are seriously frowned upon.)
What I can control, however, is my planning, preparation, communication and energy level in each interaction. I can study, learn and practice arming myself with every tool possible to leverage the best outcome possible. Frankly, this applies to more than just the sales department.
How have you grown in your career? Companies are converting to a sales culture at the speed of light. They realize it
is no longer efficient to only have a handful of account managers who are the only ones focused on sales. Everyone across the board must be focused on growing the business and be prepared to effectively do so, regardless of their title. If you’re not
actively pursuing new business, you are servicing and protecting existing custom-ers and trying to expand wallet share. Challenge yourself to grow. The world of business is changing. Are you?
What have you read lately that made you stop and reevaluate? What did you hear that you wrote down because you didn’t want to forget it? When was the last time you signed up for a class or learned a new skill? How have you grown in your
role and become better than you were last year?
Instead of commiserating about what’s not working in your life or business, why not ask people about what is working?
How about taking time regular-ly to stop and think? There is a wealth of knowledge that rolls around deep inside of you waiting to be discovered. It comes from your composite life experiences, both good and bad. Take that piece of knowledge, and hold it up to the light, turn it around and examine it from every angle, much like a jeweler does with a precious stone.
Humble yourself enough to admit that you don’t know everything. In fact, don’t just admit it: Embrace it, cling to it. It’s both frustrating and exciting to realize that the more I know, the more I don’t. (Just ask my preteen daughter.) Knowledge is power.
In his play Henry VI, William Shakespeare writes, “In seeing ignorance is the curse of God; knowledge is the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.” My wish for you, no matter what your position or level of accomplishment, is that you never know everything. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself to control the outcome, something that can’t be controlled. Focus on arming yourself with every possible resource, and then leverage that information to the best of your ability.
Control what you can, embrace knowledge, and take the initiative to grow. v© 2010 Sandler Systems, Inc. Sandler Training is the global leader in sales and management
training and consulting. Catherine Atkins is your exclusive authorized franchisee of Sandler Training. Visit www.savant.sandler.com or email at [email protected].
Instead of commiserating about what’s not working in your life or
business, why not ask people about what is working?
25 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
Leading Clearly » tony richards
Leadership’s soft sideIn the 21st century, leaders are feeling the challenge
of being able to effectively lead with the hard skills of leadership and management: skills such as grow-ing assets, managing physical plants and improving technology. These measurable hard skills have been as timeless as management theory itself, but in these days of rapid, nonstop change, it isn’t enough to just keep the trains running on time.
A multi-generational workforce with a variety of backgrounds and attitudes is now driving the produc-tivity of companies and organizations. The words all and everyone no longer apply, if they ever did. Henry Ford revolutionized industry with his concept of the assembly line, where employees did one thing every day, all day long. Today, the concept of multitasking is much more prevalent. Not only do we do many things all day, but we also do them simultaneously.
Leadership’s soft skills are more difficult to mea-sure than the hard skills, but the fact remains that they are just as necessary. Although this short article will only scratch the surface, I’ll cover some of the most essential soft skills leaders must embrace and develop into abilities in today’s competitive world.The ability to drive the language of the culture
This is perhaps the most important leadership skill of all. Culture is the driving force of any organiza-tion, whether it’s a company, a family or a nation, and language is the unifying force that drives the culture. There has never been a culture that didn’t have its own language, a language that was created over time and understood by every person within the culture.
Outsiders, especially new employees, must be trained on what all aspects of the language mean. Leaders must drive these meanings home and make sure the language is accomplishing a positive purpose; if not, it can be devastating. In the late ’90s when McDonald’s was declining, the employees created a term for their positions — McJob — the definition of which is a low-paying, dead-end job that requires few skills and little chance for advancement. McDonald's has since un-dergone an amazing turnaround and was named the No. 10 most admired company by Fortune magazine. It started by changing the culture within. Great orga-nizations are built from the inside out. The ability to energize others
Energizing others is about inspiring others. Today’s leader must be inspired. The rule is simple: you can-not give something to someone that you, yourself, do not have. If you want to inspire others, you must be inspired. The best energizers have a raw brand of en-thusiasm. People respond to them. Leaders who en-ergize bring out the absolute best in people and inject them with confidence. They paint a vivid yet realistic vision of success for others, a vision that others might not have been able to see on their own. Leaders who energize realize the key to motivating their followers is not to micromanage or go strictly “by the book” but to outline an agreed upon strategy with objectives that sufficiently challenge and let people run with the strategy on their own.The ability to lead consistently
Leaders must hold themselves accountable for how they lead in a consistent fashion. Leaders cannot sim-
ply ask followers to do things they do not consistently do. Leaders cannot encourage followers to have a con-sistent learning plan if they are not learning. Leaders cannot encourage followers to network and develop key relationships if they are not willing to do it also. By the same token, consistently leading requires ven-turing into new territory, not just revisiting the old. Followers become suspect when leaders “dabble” in this area and that area but have no clear direction. Trust can be firmly established only when leaders have clear expectations of both themselves and others. All expectations must be clearly communicated with frequency and consistent behavior.The ability to be tough, yet sensitive
Leaders must understand that others on their team have as much insight into the organization as they do — maybe more. Leaders must clearly establish the standards of performance as expectations and be tough on them but sensitive toward people. People are not resources to be controlled and directed; they are human beings with thoughts and feelings. They see non-performance in co-workers and become unmoti-vated. The blame might start to land on the co-worker but will eventually find its correct accountability lo-cation on the leadership. Leaders must build a team where accountability is shared as willingly as the re-wards. v
Tony Richards is a leader in the area of personal devel-opment and senior partner of Clear Vision Development Group, a Columbia-based leadership coaching and training firm. Visit them online at www.clearvisiondevelopment.com, or follow Tony on Twitter @ tonyrichards4.
26 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
NEW BuSINESS UPDate
Tallulah’s 812 E. Broadway | 442-9550 | [email protected]
By Valeria Turturro
A kitchen and home store will soon open in downtown Columbia at the former PS:Gallery location on Broadway.
Partners Mary Stauffer and Melissa Alabach oper-ated a booth at the King’s Daughters Holiday Festival last year and decided the timing was right for them to open their own place.
“Everybody has been wanting a kitchen store for a while,” Alabach said.
Stauffer dreamed up the idea for such a store more than a year and a half ago and asked her close friend to join her. Both women came to the endeavor with their own skills and expertise. Stauffer has worked in marketing for Cumulus Broadcasting and the Columbia Daily Tribune and as a publisher for Columbia Home & Lifestyle magazine. Alabach worked in interior design and dabbled in art and mosaics.
Both women took breaks to spend more time with their families but came together for a little while with a small “on the side” jewelry company named, fittingly, On the Side.
Having a booth at King’s Daughters, Stauffer said, “was a way to feel out what people are going to want, do a little research and see what people’s responses were going to be. … Everybody is very excited. The re-sponse has been tremendous.”
Tallulah’s will sell kitchen products, cookware, linen, tabletop décor and home goods from Wüsthof, Staub, All-Clad, Mauviel and Kuhn Rikon, to name just
a few. There will be in-store demonstrations of many products and gadgets. Bridal registry will also be available.
After moving into the space in March, Stauffer and Alabach have been busy remodeling the interior
and making it their own and adding cabinetry from Dimensions in Wood and lighting from Bright City Lights. With a few weeks of remodeling remaining, the store is set to open in April. v
Tallulah's, a kitchen and home store, will open soon on Broadway in downtown Columbia.
ph
ot
os
By
au
gu
st
kr
yg
er
27 april 2, 2011 C
olumbia B
usiness Times | c
olumbiaB
usinesstimes.com
Owner: Diane Peckham910 Alley A | 442-4242 | goodnature.us | [email protected]
Nestled into a downtown alley way, the Good Nature store is full of surprises.With everything from wine and incense to handmade drums and alpaca mittens, the shop is
brimming with handcrafted goodies.“We sort of have a tagline: Think of us as a new-age general store,” owner Diane Peckham said.
“We’re trying to be as local, sustainable and natural as possible.” The store opened in November in the newly renovated Alley A between Ninth and 10th streets
and Broadway and Cherry streets. Peckham, an alpaca breeder, sold alpaca products in a specialty store with some other breeders during the Christmas season for a few years before deciding to open a shop year-round.
Alpaca products comprise about one-third of the merchandise, including rugs that can be made to order with custom designs. She said the store also has an excellent book selection on meditation and yoga, beautiful crystals and locally made pottery and jewelry.
“A lot of (what we have) is handmade,” she said. “We like the concept of keeping our dollars in Columbia. That’s a conscious business decision, to be as local as possible.” v
NEW BuSINESS UPDate
Good Nature
Diane Peckham, owner of Good nature, works in her store on March 11. Peckham said she and her husband opened the store as a change from their former job of raising and selling alpacas. Peckham now makes and sells various goods made from alpaca fur. The shop also features an eclectic mix of clothing, books and locally made crafts.
Good nature is the only retail business in a city alley.
ph
ot
os
By
au
gu
st
kr
yg
er
