Volume 16Issue 23

June 12, 2010

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5Couple You Should KnowChris and Stephanie Rosskopf, Boone County National Bank assistant VP, SoCket marketing manager

Business ProileAfter 35 years of bringing music to Columbia, Hennessy and Sons closes up shop.6

22Artist ProileJewelry maker Andrea Jira creates bold pieces from materials ranging from silver to bronze, glass and fabric.

See Page 12

SPECIAL SECTION

Automotive

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Deal-making resumes at car lots

(continued on Page 11)

By Jeremy Essig

Fueled by newly acquired Nissan and a rebounding Ford, Joe Machens is in the driver's seat of Columbia's resurgent auto market.

Car and truck sales at Columbia dealerships have increased by more than 16 percent for the irst four months of 2010 compared with the same period the previous year, according to Missouri Department of Revenue data. The local numbers mirror national sales, which also increased a little more than 16 percent, according to data from Autodata, a motor vehicle analysis irm based in New Jersey.

The recession caused tumult in the local car business as sales of new and used vehicles dropped nearly 10 percent in 2008. Larry Estes lost the Dodge franchise, and Lou Fusz closed the Saturn dealership. Justin Perry, after selling the

Chevrolet dealership to Bob McCosh and opening a new Nissan dealership, saw his sales drop 30 percent in 2009 and sold the operation to Machens owner Gary Drewing. Don Albert transferred his Buick and GMC franchises to McCosh after sales declined sharply in 2007 and then remained lat for two years. In late April, Frank Fletcher Honda gobbled up the remains of Albert's 25-year-old dealership.

Now, Fletcher and Drewing are planning major expan-sions and relocations, and they have so much inventory that they're illing nearby parking lots with their cars.

The upward trend began last year when local automo-tive sales increased by more than 7 percent compared with 2008. A large portion of this increase can be attributed to the Machens family of dealerships, which were responsible for more than 73 percent of car sales last year.

Dan Burks of University Chrysler thanks Gene Winn for coming back to his dealership to shop for a new truck.

Car Market CoMebaCk

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19

16Citizen of the Year karen taylor, executive vice president of consumer banking at Boone County National Bank, receives Chamber award.

New Business UpdatetW Auto owner tom Schranck hopes to attract customers with upfront pricing and laid-back service.

Air Masters Corporation .......................................... 19

Boone County National Bank .................................. 24

Dogwood Insurance Agency ..................................... 4

Beckett & taylor Agency ......................................... 23

City of Columbia Water & Light .............................. 18

Commerce Bank ...................................................... 20

Delta Systems ........................................................... 6

Farm to table .......................................................... 16

Huber And Associates ............................................. 15

Information Management Systems ......................... 11

ke Lani Hair And Day Spa ......................................... 7

Landmark Bank ......................................................... 2

Miss-Lou's Catering .................................................. 7

Missouri Press Service, Inc ....................................... 3

Savant Business Development Systems ................. 22

SoCket .................................................................. 21

Sycamore .................................................................. 7

towner Communications Systems .......................... 19

Wheeler Auctions .................................................... 14

Whiskey Wild ........................................................... 17

Wine Cellar & Bistro ................................................. 10

Aaron’s ....................................................................... 8

Agents National title Insurance Company ................ 4

Albert Honda ........................................................... 14

Artlandish Gallery .................................................... 23

the Bank of Missouri ................................................. 4

Better Business Bureau ........................................... 10

Bob McCosh Chevrolet ..................... 1, 11, 12, 13, 14

Boone County National Bank ...................... 1, 2, 5, 18

Buttonwood Business Center ................................. 10

Columbia College .................................................. 3, 4

Columbia Hyundai ................................................... 14

Columbia Regional Airport ........................................ 9

Columbia transit ........................................................ 9

Commerce Bank .................................................. 8, 17

Delta Air Lines ........................................................... 9

Delta Systems ......................................................... 18

emerging Professionals in Columbia ......................... 5

end of the Rainbow Child Care Center ..................... 4

estes Motors ............................... 1, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16

Family Counseling Center ......................................... 5

Frank Fletcher Honda ........................ 1, 11, 12, 13, 14

Hampton Inn and Suites ............................................ 3

Head Motor Company ........................... 11, 12, 13, 14

Hennessy and Sons .......................................... 1, 6, 7

Hilton Garden Inn ................................................ 3, 18

IBM .................................................................. 8, 9, 10

Joe Machens ............................... 1, 11, 12, 13, 14, 16

Landmark Bank ......................................................... 4

Linen king ........................................................ 8, 9, 10

Lou Fusz Saturn ...................................................... 11

Midwest Computech................................................. 4

N.H. Scheppers ......................................................... 4

ousley Family Veterans Service Center .................... 4

Paratransit ................................................................. 9

Peachtree Banquet Center ........................................ 3

Prudential Vision Properties ...................................... 4

PS: Gallery ................................................................. 3

Regional economic Development Inc. ................ 9, 10

SoCket ................................................................ 1, 5

Stephens College .................................................... 18

the Sunshine kids ..................................................... 4

timeLine Recruiting ................................................... 4

tW Auto ............................................................... 2, 16

United Way ................................................................ 5

University Chrysler Jeep Dodge ...11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16

Visionworks Marketing & Communications ............... 4

William Woods University .......................................... 4

Williams-keepers LLC ............................................... 5

Women’s Network ................................................... 18

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The Columbia Business Times is published every other Saturday by The Business Times Co. 2001 Corporate Place, Suite 100, Columbia, Mo 65202.

Copyright The Business Times Co., 2008. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Third-class postage paid at Columbia, Mo. The annual subscription rate is $39.95 for 26 issues.

OUR MISSION STATEMENT:The Columbia Business Times strives to be Columbia’s leading source for timely and comprehensive news coverage of the local business community. This publication is dedicated to being the most relevant and useful vehicle for the exchange of information and ideas among Columbia’s business professionals.

Writers in this issue: Andrew Denney, Jeremy Essig, Keija ParssinenColumnists in this issue: Al Germond, David Reed, Bill Watkins

Chris Harrison | General Manager | Ext.1010David Reed | Group Editor | Ext.1013Alisha Moreland | Art DirectorKristin Branscom | Graphic DesignerBetsy Bell | Creative Marketing DirectorJennifer Kettler | Photo Editor | 573-529-1789Cindy Sheridan | Operations ManagerAnnie Jarrett | Marketing RepresentativeJoe Schmitter | Marketing RepresentativeAshley Meyer | Creative Services

(573) 499-1830 | (573) 499-1831 faxeditor@businesstimescompany.comAdvertising information: info@businesstimescompany.com

CBt BUSINESS CALENDAR — JUNE

15Health Literacy Missouri Summit on Health Initiatives10 a.m.-3 p.m. Hilton Garden InnWith the recent passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 32 million more Americans will soon have access to health care coverage. However, access doesn’t necessarily translate into usage without an understanding of the process. to better inform those in the health care system government health workers, key health stakeholders and media about these issues, HLM is bringing together representatives from Missouri’s education system, health services and community service programs for a mix of presentations, panels and breakout sessions. Registration is $49. to register, visit www.healthliteracymissouri.org.

Planning & Zoning Commission Public Hearing5:30 p.m. City Hall addition, conference room 1AA request by Rangeline Crossing LLC to rezone 2.65 acres of land from M-C (Controlled Industrial) to C-3 (General Business). the property is located north and west of Range Line Street and Smiley Lane. Contact: Steve MacIntyre, 874-7682.

17Women’s Network June Luncheon11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Peachtree Banquet CenterHear nationally known speaker Andy Core expand on "Balancing Your Choices in a Crazy Busy World." $15 for members and $18 for guests. Contact Liz Glockhoff, 819-9119 or lglockhoff@ColumbiaMoChamber.com.

21Downtown Planning Charrette Public Hearing6 p.m. Dulany Hall, Columbia Collegethe city’s charrette consultants are trying to develop a consensus vision and implementation strategy for two areas: north and south of the Broadway and College intersection and the general region of the Providence and Broadway intersection. this meeting focuses on plan design options. (Follow-up hearing on draft plan: June 25, 4 p.m. at Dulany Hall)

City Council Meeting7 p.m. City Council Chambers, Daniel Boone Building addition

Chamber of Commerce New Member Welcome 4:30-6:30 p.m. Hampton Inn and Suites, 1225 Fellows Place this orientation and networking event is for new and current members. Free to new members; $10 for existing members. Contact: Suzanne Rothwell, 817-9110 or srothwell@ColumbiaMoChamber.com.

24EPIC: Art for Dummies 6-8 p.m. PS: Gallery, 812 E. BroadwayAn art expert will give an informal yet informative look at art basics, the reality of choosing art and how to start an art collection. the presentation will take place throughout the gallery, and the discussion will focus on concepts of the art that is hanging at the time. Room 38 will provide free appetizers and drinks for everyone in attendance during the presentation. After the formal program, the party continues with a mixer at Room 38. $7 online, $10 at the door. Contact emily Poore at 817-9115 or epoore@ColumbiaMoChamber.com.

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Hirings Visionworks Marketing & Communications added Jill Dudley as a business development specialist. Jill will focus on sales and new venture development while adding talent in the areas of voice, marketing and project management. She previously worked as a director of business development for TimeLine Recruiting. Midwest Computech hired six new employees: Chance Anderson and Paul Newcome, technology coordinators in the Lafayette and Wellington-Napoleon school districts; and David Davison, Carl West, Aaron Meyer and Andy Henning, network support specialists for school districts in Kearney, Sedalia and Eldon.

TimeLine Recruiting, a health care recruiting irm, hired Kathy Monnig and Natalie Stine as marketers. Monnig was director of social services at Chariton Park Health Care, and Stine taught gymnastics after graduating from MU with a bachelor’s degree in health sciences.

PromotionsN.H. Scheppers, the distributor of Anheuser-Busch prod-

ucts and other beverages in Boone, Callaway, Cole and Osage counties, promoted Michael Radzin to general sales manager. Radzin, the company’s director of communications for the past eight years, will direct the sales and marketing efforts for its beer division. Scott Priesmeyer will continue to oversee sales and marketing for the specialty products division of the company, which has ofices in Jefferson City and Columbia.

Landmark Bank has named Charles Williamson a senior vice president. Landmark also promoted the following employees: Chris Walters, information services project manager; Stephanie Brockmeier, loan review analyst; Sarah Laupp, retail banking specialist; Jill Thompson, Stadium West Banking Center manager; Tonya Keith, Downtown Banking Center manager; Geoff Karr, Rock Bridge Banking Center manager.

AwardsNikki Reynolds of Columbia was named the 2010 SBA

Young Entrepreneur of the Year for the St. Louis district and the Midwest region. Nikki is the owner and director of End of the Rainbow Child Care Center, a curriculum-based preschool.

The United States Small Business Administration recog-nized The Bank of Missouri as the No. 1 community bank lender in the St. Louis SBA District. The Bank of Missouri is an independent community bank locally owned and oper-ated with locations in Columbia, Perryville, Jackson, Cape Girardeau, Marble Hill, Springield, Ozark and Republic.

The University of Missouri’s Gabor Forgacs was included in Fast Company magazine’s list of the 100 Most Creative

People in Business in 2010. Forgacs, a professor of biophysics and co-founder of Organovo, was No. 80 on the list published in the June issue.

Rajiv Mohan, Ph.D., associate professor of ophthalmology at the MU School of Medicine, presented at the 2010 World Ophthalmology Congress on how nanoparticles could be paired with therapeutic genes to deliver new treatments to corneal tissue. Mohan was one of only ive basic scientists invited to make a presentation at the nanotechnology session of the meeting in Berlin.

Appointments

Michael J. Podgursky, a professor of economics at MU, has been appointed to help improve the effectiveness of the nation’s schools as a fellow of the George W. Bush Institute. Podgursky’s research focuses on educator compensation, speciically retirement beneits systems, which are currently facing iscal challenges.

The William Woods University Alumni Association elected Susan Howard, Anne Clouse, Susan Werbach Lowry, Adam Patchett, Justin Shy and Lance Moore to three-year terms on the association’s board. Troy Boulware, Margaret Holmquist, Leigh Hailey Kieffer and Amy Orr Michel were elected to two-year board terms.

Agents National Title Insurance Company CFO Brent Scheer accepted the appointment as chairman of the American Land Title Association Title Insurance Accounting Committee. The American Land Title Association represents title insurance companies, agents and abstracters nationwide on a variety of industry and legislative issues.

Peter G. Klein has been appointed to the board of direc-tors of Agents National Title Insurance Company. Klein is an associate professor at MU’s Division of Applied Sciences and associate director of the Contracting and Organizations Research Institute.

PhilanthropyColumbia College recognized George H. Ousley Jr. and

Gayleen Ousley at the newly named Ousley Family Veterans Service Center located in Missouri Hall on the Columbia College campus. The Ousley’s gave a gift that will help to establish an endowed scholarship for veterans in need of funding to complete their degrees.

The broker, sales professionals and employees of Prudential Vision Properties have adopted The Sunshine Kids, a national nonproit organization that provides positive group activities and emotional support for children with cancer. As part of the program, Prudential Vision Properties will host fundraising activities on behalf of The Sunshine Kids. v

We want to hear from you. Please e-mail your submissions to editor@businesstimescompany.com

Dudley

Stine Williamson

Monnig

Walters

Reynolds

Laupp

Keith

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COuPLES YOu SHOULD KNOW

Chris and Stephanie RosskopfAssistant Vice President, Boone County National Bank

Marketing Manager, SoCket

AGE: C: 32 S: None of your business

YEARS LIVED IN MID-MISSOURI: C: 32 S: 12

ORIGINAL HOMETOWN: C: Fulton S: St. Louis

JOB DESCRIPTION: C: Offering banking solutions for business clients such as commercial loans and additional services to promote business eficiency and proitability. S: I work to develop and manage SOCKET’s overall marketing efforts throughout Missouri. With a team of hard-working people, we balance an ever-changing array of advertising, event, customer communication, social media, public relation, Web and research projects.

EDUCATION: C: Graduated from Helias High School in 1996, BSBA in inance from MU. S: Graduated from Bishop DuBourg High School in 1998, BSBA in marketing and management from Columbia College.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: C: Chamber of Commerce Total Resource Campaign, Friends of Scouting, United Way, Home Builders Association, Chamber of Commerce ambassador, St. Thomas More Newman Center S: Women’s Network monthly program co-chair, Chamber of Commerce membership committee, Family Counseling Center, Emerging Professionals In Columbia, St. Thomas More Newman Center

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: C: I started with Central Bank in Jefferson City in 2001 as a credit analyst and eventually transferred to BCNB to become a commercial lender. S: After graduating college, I worked for two years at Williams-Keepers LLC as a marketing coordinator. In 2003, I became a marketing representative for SOCKET and became marketing manager in 2008.

A COLUMBIA COUPLE WE ADMIRE AND WHY: Jill and Art Cox. They have raised a strong family while both being very actively involved in the community and volunteering with organizations that work to make Columbia a better place to live.

WHY I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT MY JOB: C: I’m personally excited about helping new businesses hit the ground running and offering solutions for them to continually grow and expand and promote meaningful job growth in our area. S: SOCKET’s environment encourages me to test new marketing ideas and challenges me to

push myself to always produce the best.

IF I WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, I WOULD: C: Be calling play-by-play for Cardinals games on the radio. S: Be a restaurant critic — I always

seem to have an opinion.

FAMILY: Married for four years. Son, Gabriel, who is 10 months old; and Annie B., the daughter-like yellow Lab, who is 3 years old.

WHAT WE DO FOR FUN: Playing with Gabriel, who is full of non-stop energy. We also love to travel, whether on a trip to Europe or a simple canoe trip. We also have fun playing softball together (shout out to JABO), which is how we met.

FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA: The softball ields at Cosmo Park on Thursday nights — when it’s not raining.

ACCOMPLISHMENT WE’RE MOST PROUD OF: A successful (so far) transition from being carefree young adults to responsible parents.

MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT: S: Ninety-nine percent of Chris’ wardrobe consists of suits and ties and gym shorts and T-shirts. I can’t get him to wear the other 1 percent.

C: Stephanie throws a mean changeup pitch that will have you swinging out of

your cleats.

HOW ARE YOU ABLE TO BALANCE RAISING A FAMILY

AND ADVANCING YOUR CAREER? It all begins with appreciating each other for the little things that are done

to make a career work within the time allowed by family life. Recognizing each other’s contributions, big and small, helps making personal sacriices easier when it

comes to working around schedules. DVR helps, too. vphoto by jennifer kettler

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By Andrew Denny

Hennessy and Sons hardly looks like it’s on its deathbed.

The musical instrument store at Broadway Shopping Center has been “crazy busy” since the going-out-of-business sale began in May, owner Frank Hennessey said, and they’ve been selling more used pianos than usual.

In a pattern established over decades, Hennessy takes time from tuning a 1952 Chickering piano to chat with customers browsing the loor or play a few scales on the rose-colored 1886 Steinway that the business restored.

But June 30 is the day the music dies at Hennessy and Sons. After 35 years doing busi-ness in the community, Hennessy is closing the retail store and distribution center. He cites a reduction in his revolving lines of credit and “doom and gloom” predictions for small busi-nesses in the media since the beginning of the recession.

“You just look at it and say, ‘I’ve had enough,’” he said.

Hennessy said he made the decision in March to close the business, which distributes products to 30 counties in Missouri, after General Electric purchased the three credit providers that pro-vide the business with revolving lines of credit. The company that provided Hennessy and Sons with loor-plan inancing cut the company off entirely, which reduced its total line of credit from $485,000 to $175,000.

“Almost everything purchased for stock you had to pay for up front,” Hennessy said.

Although the business deals primarily with pianos, which includes tuning, restoring and rebuilding the instruments, Hennessy and Sons also sells musical equipment, songbooks and a few guitars. Pianos on the loor range from around $1,000 to $174,000, the price for a 9-foot Yamaha concert grand piano.

Hennessy said he’s been in music retail his “entire life.”

He got his start as a salesman at Hauer Music in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967, but he wasn’t hired at the business right away. He tried to get a job there 10 years earlier as a saxophone teacher, shortly after he got his music degree from the Air Force, but the employer turned him down and told Hennessy that parents of saxophone students would be concerned about the fact that he stutters.

When he got a call from the owner in 1967 and a job offer as a salesman in the store’s piano department, Hennessy was surprised.

Hennessy said he told the owner the only thing he knew about being a salesman at that point was how to spell the word. Hennessy, who was working at the University of Dayton as a music technician, was offered the job because of his expertise.

“I have all the smooth talkers I need,” Hennessy said the owner told him. “The problem is when they open their mouths, they don’t have the slightest idea what they were talking about.”

Hennessy said after he began to work at Hauer, he moved pianos out the door so fast that the carpet in the store’s approximately 600-square-foot showroom “never got warm.”

In 1972, he moved to St. Louis, where he sold pianos at Hamilton Music. He moved to Columbia in 1975 and opened Hennessy and Sons at Crossroads West Shopping Center at the corner of Stadium Boulevard and West Broadway.

The business moved to the Biscayne Mall in 1980 and came to its current location in the shop-ping center at the intersection of West Broadway and Clinkscales Road in 1989.

Hennessy said a major change he has noticed in the way music retailers do business is loca-tion. Years ago, he said, shopping malls were the

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Frank Hennessy inely tunes a recently sold Yamaha piano at his shop, Hennessy and Sons Music. After 35 years of business, the music store will close June 30.

Hennessy, a retail institution, thrives in waning days

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Delivering ALL Your

Catering Needs From

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Call 573.673.1637 or email miss-louscatering@hotmail.com

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A goodbye note hangs on the door of Hennessy and Sons.

Michael Barnes prepares to tune the last guitar for sale at Hennessy and Sons.

preferred locales for distributors because of the volume of customers they could bring in.

However, he said strip malls such as the one his business currently inhabits is a “great retail location” because it’s more likely that customers will enter the business with the intention to make a purchase.

“They come for a reason,” Hennessy said.Kate Basi, a Columbia resident and former

music director at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic church on Bernadette Drive, is a longtime cus-tomer of Hennessy’s. She said Hennessy sold the church a 6-foot Yamaha concert grand piano, as well as songbooks for music students there. She said she also purchased an upright piano for her home from Hennessy.

Basi said Hennessy’s business side was “rolled together” with his personality, which made him a trustworthy salesman.

“He’s always been a really good person to tell it like it is,” Basi said.

Basi said there is a sense of community among Hennessy’s customers, and when she goes to the store, she feels as if she can “catch up” with people she knows.

“We’re sorry to see him go,” Basi said of Hennessy.

Hennessy, 77, said he’d continue to do restora-tions and tunings as long as his health will allow. He said tuning pianos is physically taxing, espe-cially on the tendons in his wrists, as it requires him to press keys and torque a tuning hammer up to 5,000 times while tuning one piano.

Hennessy said he regrets closing the business and that longtime customers have walked in the door with tears in their eyes. But he said he can depart with his “head held high.”

“I didn’t forget how to run a business.”v

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Al Germond

Al Germond is the host of the "Sunday

Morning Roundtable" every Sunday at 8:15

a.m. on KFRu. Algermond@gmail.com

From the Roundtable

Growing inventory of vacant property troubling for Columbia

VOICES

Editor’s View

With development debates on horizon, can city forestall acrimony?

Reed is the editor of CBt. editor@

businesstimescompany.com

David Reed

A few days ago, I drove past the future home of IBM on LeMone Industrial Boulevard to catch up on the changing landscape. Construction workers were getting the industrial building ready for IBM to open in November, while around the corner road workers were getting close to inishing the Maguire Boulevard exten-sion to Stadium Boulevard at Crosscreek Center.

Two years ago, the acrimony over local devel-opment reached a fever pitch and was focused on this strip of land along U.S. Highway 63. The City Council irst rejected and then, after media-tion, approved commercial construction plans for Crosscreek, which initially included a car dealer-ship, a Taco Bell restaurant, a Landmark Bank branch and a Break Time convenience store. Later that spring, the City Council voted 4-3 to build the extension of Maguire Boulevard from the LeMone Industrial Park to Stadium Boulevard.

The debate over development in Columbia has died down considerably since then. That's not because the city has forged community agreements on policies covering infrastructure cost sharing, annexation, rezoning, neighbor-hood involvement and other issues that fuel disagreements.

There simply hasn’t been much to argue about. Residential and commercial construction has slowed to a trickle, aside from government and university building. There were only four development plans submitted to the city in 2009, compared with a few dozen annually during the building boom that reached its zenith in 2006. Crosscreek is still an enormous patch of bare land.

Now the economy is rebounding, and City Planning Director Tim Teddy said there are signs that the pace of building is picking up.

Next month the City Council will again con-sider the long-contested issue of rezoning 271 acres near Richland Road in east Columbia, and the construction of the new high school in north-east Columbia will be a catalyst for residential and commercial projects. There are two dozen housing projects in the city’s pipeline. Developers of the Bellwood residential subdivision at the end of West Broadway recently submitted a inal plat, a step that has rarely been taken in the past two years.

The opening of IBM and the Linen King com-mercial laundry at LeMone, the completion of the Maguire extension in August and the signing of other industrial development deals in the works will also stimulate building projects.

One of the lightning rods for the Crosscreek dispute was the decision to clear-cut the 70 acres where two branches of Hinkson Creek come together. Several City Council members referred to the expanse of bare dirt as the “moonscape.” Council members and neighbors also complained that neighborhood associations should have had a stronger role in the decision-making process.

Will the heated arguments resume when development restarts? Probably, but much has changed since then.

Local government administrators took advan-tage of the lull in development and worked on long-term planning that could forestall some of the typical acrimony that arises during City Council meetings. Then, in April, voters changed the Council's balance of power by choosing development-friendly candidates.

Earlier this year, the Council approved the northeast Columbia area development plan with the high school construction project as its

centerpiece. Later this month, the city will hold its fourth public hearing on the east Columbia development plan, which covers 21 square miles and includes the road that eventually will con-nect Stadium Boulevard with Interstate 70.

The city is also embarking on a cost-beneit analysis of development. City Manager Bill Watkins came to the last Planning and Zoning Commission meeting to talk about the infra-structure cost review process. A group working on a comprehensive plan for development is holding meetings twice a month, and next week there will be intensive planning and public meetings on two downtown areas ripe for development.

The Planning and Zoning Commission and the Environment and Energy Commission in the next month will consider proposed modi-ications to land disturbance rules. As for the other major issue that caused hard feelings during the Crosscreek dispute, the planning department is working on ways to improve the relationship between developers and neighbor-hood associations.

“We’ve committed more of our resources to do advance planning,” Teddy told the CBT. “We hope we can have a better process now to engage neighborhood interests earlier and more productively.”

Although there will never be harmony between growth-wary residents and devel-opers, there might be less discord when Council must make development decisions. The city planners have learned some lessons and set better ground rules, and now it's up to the par-ticipants to play nice. v

Watching the claw of a backhoe nibble away at the old Cleeks building on the southwest corner of West Boulevard and Worley Street brought back memories. It also brought up some concerns about commercial spaces.

A few decades ago, a third of the area's grocery sales passed through Nowell's across the street while the Cleek family’s chain of rent-to-own appli-ance and home furnishing stores started at the Worley location. “Tiger” John Cleek became noto-rious for putting up a poster in a corner window the week before each MU football game that showed his prediction of the score, with a decided bias for the Tigers.

After the Cleeks sold their business to Aaron's, the father and son put their building at 1001 W. Worley St. on the market. With little apparent interest, the demolition squad was summoned for a “tear down.” There was no particular signiicance — either historical or structural — to merit retaining the building. But it was still a sad passing. The future plans for the corner have yet to be revealed.

The community should be concerned about the growing inventory of vacant or underutilized struc-tures punctuating area neighborhoods and what will happen to them.

Although there's good news about recycling vacant structures in the Lemone Industrial Park for IBM and Linen King, there seems to be an inor-dinate amount of vacant property sitting around Columbia that the community needs to get back into action.

What might be done with the one-story building for sale at 1518 N. Garth Ave. that once housed the Bargain Barn? The building makes me think of the refrain of an ancient radio jingle about the Bargain Barn being a “real discount store” and its memorable sign reminding customers that “the credit department was on the 29th loor.”

Next door at 1500 N. Garth sits another vacant building of comparable vintage that is “for sale or lease.” The building, built by the late Ed Perry some 50 years ago, represented a huge leap from its predecessor, the old digs of Nathe Chevrolet. The building on Business Loop 70 where Nathe moved, later occupied by Bisping Olds and others, is also vacant and on the market. It seems poised for an angel to come and spare it from the Feast of the Hungry Backhoes.

What doomed the Cleeks’ corner building? Borrowing from the appraiser’s quiver of terms, the “highest and best use” judgment seemed to conclude that a vacant lot had more value.

Although there might have been compli-cating issues including the asbestos bugbear, interest in what used to be a very hot corner for commercial activity apparently wasn't present when the market was tested. Perhaps in the location-location-location referendum, 1001 W. Worley just isn't what it used to be.

One well-known commercial Realtor recently listed one of Business Loop 70's real gems, the Commerce Bank Building. The building is being vacated as employees move

to the newly renovated main bank building downtown, and it could be the ideal spot for another bank because the building has full vault facilities. One hopes it won't be torn down. But that's what happened to what preceded the bank on that corner — Joe Dietz's Garage and Motorcycle Shop, where area Harley-Davidson fans used to gather.

With dozens of these presumably shovel-ready structures already in place and on the market, owners and their representatives will have to be adaptive to ensure the redeployment of all this available square footage.

The Nowell’s market, for example, was turned into the Columbia/Boone County Health Department. v

A backhoe clears the lot formerly occupied by Cleeks.

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VOICESCity View

City seeks excellence while budget still a zero-sum game

Bill Watkins

Watkins is Columbia’s city manager. cityman@

gocolumbiamo.com

During my annual remarks on the state of the city, I reported that things are tight but stable.

We are in the third year of a inancial plan that was set up in 2008, when local revenues started declining. Because we took immediate action, curbed spending and remained respon-sibly focused on delivering core services to citizens, we are about where we expected to be with budget. For the next few years, budgeting is likely to remain a zero-sum game, but we aren’t resting on our laurels.

At the direction of City Council, we have set the goals of applying for and receiving both the Missouri Quality Award and the national Baldridge Award. Attaining excellence is some-thing the city of Columbia can do, even with limited resources.

The logical place to start is with our core services, particularly in the following areas: utilities, job creation, bus and air service, public safety and parks.

Although each of these issues is important, for the sake of brevity in this column, I will focus on items that have signiicant impact on our business community. I encourage you to review the state of the city items related to public safety and parks on our website, www.GoColumbiaMo.com.

UtilitiesCity utilities become more complex every

year, with new regulations, growth and unan-ticipated challenges.

We have voter approval to maintain bond requirements for electric, water and wastewater services, and I am committed to working with City Council members to keep all utility rate increases as low as possible. I am equally set on reaching higher levels of customer service, performance and accountability.

Our sewer rates have received a lot of scru-tiny and criticism, some of it deserved. In my opinion, the guidance in our local sewer rate ordinance is out-of-date and off-the-mark. Our stormwater utility needs even more attention.

Stormwater that is unchecked causes prop-erty and environmental damage. Again, we have an ordinance and rate structure but not the horses to do the job. The stormwater utility now generates about $1 million each year, far from what’s needed to properly engineer and staff this function and not enough to meet federal and state environmental standards. We are working to rebalance our regulations, espe-cially in already developed areas.

JobsIBM and Linen King will bring wide job

diversity to Columbia and will use buildings and facilities already in place. I am proud of the united community that helped tip the bal-ance to Columbia, including our economic development director, Mike Brooks. Having people with good jobs is part of our quest for excellence.

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

Some of our solutions are industrial sites in various stages of readiness for new ten-ants. Council members want to add a second Missouri-certiied site to our inventory, and we are working to get our site at Waco Road and Route B ready to meet certiication standards.

A certiied site is at least 10 acres with, at a minimum, water, sewer and electric service. It has proper zoning and site control and is mar-keted for business recruitment or expansion, not for retail. The state of Missouri holds stan-dard data on all certiied sites so that it’s easily available when opportunities come up.

Forbes.com recently named Columbia the eighth best place for business and careers. I ind this one of the most exciting ratings we’ve received in a long time. It recognizes that our city has long-term solutions for innovators and entrepreneurs.

We have an opportunity to relocate our regional economic development organization, or REDI Inc., to downtown space at our new parking garage. It’s been our plan all along to have street-level space for retail and other busi-ness tenants at that location.

REDI’s current lease is expiring, and moving improves its access to City Hall services and to the University of Missouri campus. It opens the possibility of partnering with the university and the Small Business Development Center to create a place where students, graduates and other residents can cook up entrepreneurial partnerships. The incubator set up by the University of South Carolina in Columbia’s new research district could be an excellent model for us.

Bus and air serviceBus and air service is an important compo-

nent of economic development. One of IBM’s requirements is bus service to its facility and the ability to transport customers and employees easily by air.

In the past iscal year, Columbia Transit car-ried more than 2 million bus riders, even with a fare increase. That’s a 250 percent increase in

ridership during FY 2005. Numbers were up for ixed routes, campus shuttles and ParaTransit services.

Our largest soft spot is the orange bus line. Its current route is hard to cover in a 40-minute “headway.” During the annual City Council retreat, I discussed with Council some whole-sale changes intended to make the service run on time, reach areas we have not served before and make sure that buses go to workplaces and other key areas.

Improving service and capacity at Columbia Regional Airport is another important topic. Delta Air Lines has been a great partner. Flights out of Columbia have been 70 percent full on average, and the airline has switched all lights to 50-seat regional jets. Delta also announced that, effective this September, it will serve Columbia Regional without a federal subsidy.

Getting off the Essential Air Service subsidy is something that very few communities are able to achieve. Thanks are due to airport staff, to the Airport Advisory Board and to a sup-portive passenger community, but much work remains. The airport master plan describes more than $64 million in improvements during the next 20 years, and there are some conlicting priorities.

We need new pavement and other improve-ments to meet FAA standards. That means scheduling inancing and construction in a way that lets us keep lying without serious disruptions. These costs, if we meet federal regulations, can be 95 percent reimbursed with federal funds, but we still have to come up with a 5 percent match. Our 30-year-old terminal also needs to be modernized to meet federal air security standards. Unfortunately, terminals generally are not eligible for FAA grants.

I believe passenger counts are key factors in keeping our current service and attracting new air carriers. I would like to see lights to at least one more signiicant hub city. As new employers and more workers come to the region, I think Columbia Regional will attract more business. It could be another center of excellence, but we have to do things right.

These and other discussions during the retreat and beyond will guide the budget I propose to Council at the end of July. I expect that the Fiscal Year 2011 budget will still be very tight and that we will continue to stretch every dollar, even if it means con-sidering some service cuts or even layoffs.

I remain hopeful that as our local economy picks up steam, new resources might be available for core services and other citizen obligations. I am committed to reaching for excellence. Columbia citizens deserve no less. v

City utilities become more

complex every year, with

new regulations, growth and

unanticipated challenges. ... I

am committed to working with

City Council members to keep

all utility rate increases as low

as possible.

Forbes.com recently named

Columbia the eighth best place

for business and careers. ... It

recognizes that our city has long-

term solutions for innovators and

entrepreneurs.

Improving service and capacity

at Columbia Regional Airport is

another important topic. ... Our

30-year-old terminal also needs

to be modernized to meet

federal air security standards.

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REDI director turns attention to "economic gardening"By Jeremy Essig

Columbia, in Mike Brooks’ opinion, needs to focus on seeding new industry.

At the City Council retreat in Lake Ozark, Brooks, president of Regional Economic Development Inc., spoke of "economic gar-dening," a concept that started in Littleton, Colo. The idea, according to Brooks, is to provide con-ditions for new businesses to develop and then provide those businesses the resources necessary to lourish.

One such resource Brooks described is a pro-posed group of ofice spaces located within the parking garage being built at the corner of Sixth and Walnut streets. He said REDI could use this space for its own ofices as well as provide incu-bator space for new businesses trying to estab-lish themselves.

Brooks described the proposed space as a "one-stop shop for economic development in downtown."

Following his presentation, Brooks said details of how and at what rates the incubator space would be made available to start-up busi-nesses was still in the planning stages. He said the cost for the space covering 13,000 square feet was estimated at $580,000.

Another resource necessary for develop-ment, Brooks said, is providing support for new

entrepreneurship. Students are aware of support systems available from local schools, he said, but often unaware of what support is available from the local business community. The new loca-tion could also be used to place these support systems in one place, Brooks said, mentioning speciically the Small Business and Technology Development Center and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center — both currently housed on the University of Missouri campus.

City Manager Bill Watkins said he saw merit in the ideas being proposed by REDI. "We think there is truly an interest in that space down-town," Watkins said.

Earlier in the session, City Council member Paul Sturtz inquired about the economic devel-opment resources the city has left at its discretion after drawing the new IBM technology service center.

The city "can't swing for the fences very often," Sturtz said.

Mayor Bob McDavid, however, noted that the majority of the incentives for the IBM project came from the state, not the city.

Brooks, while noting that the IBM project was the seventh largest across the nation this year, assured City Council members the city had not yet spent all of its economic development resources.

"There are ways to do things if the opportu-nity comes up," Brooks said. v

Linen King hiring in JulyBy Jeremy Essig

Linen King, an Oklahoma-based provider of laundry services to the health care industry, plans to start interviewing job applicants in July and hire 30 people by the end of the year.

Regional Economic Development Inc. announced earlier this month that Linen King would open a 52,000-square-foot facility at 2600 Maguire Blvd. in the LeMone Ofice and Industrial Park. The building is just down the road from the site of the incoming IBM service delivery operation.

Linen King has the capacity to expand the operations and hire close to 100 employees in less than ive years, according to REDI. A cer-

emony to mark the opening is planned for some-time in August.

“Linen King will diversify our economic base in a way that’s been missing for awhile,” Mayor Bob McDavid said.

Linen King is the largest and fastest-growing health care laundry group in the region, according to the REDI news release. With four health care speciic industrial laundries, Linen King has the capacity to process almost 75 mil-lion pounds of laundry per year and will employ more than 200 people for iscal year 2010 with revenues approaching $20 million.

Linen King provides laundry service for rental and customer-owned goods accounts, as well as distribution, facilities management and consulting services. v

BBB opening local branchThe Better Business Bureau of Eastern

Missouri and Southern Illinois is opening a mid-Missouri branch at the Buttonwood Business Center in Columbia in mid-August and is inter-viewing applicants for the manager’s job on June 29 and 30.

This will be the irst branch ofice the BBB’s regional ofice, based in St. Louis, has opened in its 93-year history, President and CEO Michelle Corey said.

“We had often felt we had not adequately served outlying regions,” Corey said. A feasi-bility study by an MBA class at the John Cook School of Business at St. Louis University rec-ommended the BBB open a branch ofice in Columbia. Other factors in the decision were the projected growth in Columbia, the robust media market, the strong Chamber of Commerce and Rotary clubs and the presence of MU, she said.

The Columbia ofice of the nonproit organi-zation will serve nine surrounding counties, a region that has 250 BBB-accredited businesses. The BBB is also forming an advisory board for the branch ofice.

The branch will focus on community out-reach and will give mid-Missouri media a local resource for consumer and business stories as well as providing news generated by the BBB.

The website address for the Columbia region is http://stlouis.bbb.org/Columbia/ or http://stlouis.bbb.org/mid-missouri/. The BBB provides objective advice, free business Reliability Reports, dispute resolution services, charity wise-giving reports and educational information on topics affecting marketplace trust. v

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“The key to our success is good people,” Drewing said. “We've got an old saying here, ‘You either get better, or you get worse.’ And each year we try to improve upon what we're doing at Joe Machens.”

The Columbia market's sales leader during both periods was the Ford-Lincoln-Mercury dealership located on West Worley Street. For 2009, the deal-ership sold nearly 9,400 new and used vehicles, an increase of more than 11 percent during its 2008 sales numbers. The dealership has found continued success during the irst four months of 2010 and has increased sales by almost 20 percent compared with the same period in 2009. Nationally, Ford sales have increased by 33 percent for January through April, according to Autodata.

“It's amazing what Ford Motor Company has done and the turnabout they've made the last three years,” Drewing said.

The local Nissan dealership rebound has also been dramatic. Since coming under the Machens umbrella on Jan. 1, sales at the dealership have more than tripled compared with the irst four months of last year.

“That's been absolutely phenomenal,” Drewing said. “Nissan is a great franchise, and our expecta-tions are quite high there.”

All ive Machens locations — including Toyota-Scion, BMW and Machens Automotive Group — have seen an increase in sales for the irst four months of the year, with Toyota-Scion, BMW and Machens Automotive Group also yielding increased sales in 2009 compared with 2008.

Bob McCosh Chevrolet has also seen an increase in sales for both periods, and Head Motor Company had an increase of more than 10 percent for 2009. Sales at Head Motors, however, have decreased by more than 20 percent for the irst four months of 2010.

University Chrysler, which includes the Jeep and Subaru franchises, had the largest decline in sales for the irst four months of the year, more than 32 percent. Owners Dave Drane and Danny Burks, however, just opened a new location, and Chrysler is projecting a 6 percent increase in new car sales

nationally this year after emerging from a govern-ment-funded bankruptcy protection case.

The new location at 1310 Vandiver Drive — for-merly the home of Lou Fusz Saturn — will allow the dealership to provide customers a higher level of comfort and service, Drane said, as well as a wider variety of inventory, which has just caught up following the restructuring. During the restruc-turing period, University Chrysler was unable to keep inventory at normal levels, Burks said. The inventory became even more depleted during the government's cash-for-clunkers incentive program.

“Chrysler had been shut down for several months going through their reorganization,” Burks said. “They weren't up to par on their ability to produce the inventory at that point, so it was even harder on us.”

Drane said their franchise could have sold several times what it did during the program had Chrysler been able to produce to demand.

Chrysler's reorganization had an up side: The manufacturing company will pay less to provide employee beneits and retirement plans, Drane said, adding that the lower "legacy costs" put the price of making a Chrysler more in line with that of a Toyota.

With the lagship franchise emerging from the restructuring period and bringing production back to normal levels, University Chrysler has acquired the local franchise.

Estes, owner of Estes Motors, had his Dodge franchise taken away last June as part of the same restructuring that made it hard for University Chrysler to keep inventory at normal levels. With Hyundai as his only current franchise, Estes man-aged to keep sales for the irst four months of the year consistent with 2009 and sold 172 vehicles during both periods, according to Department of Revenue data.

“I've doubled my (Hyundai) sales from last year at this time,” Estes said.

Estes also plans to expand his dealership with the addition of Mahindra, a truck produced in India. A diesel-powered vehicle, the trucks are “tough as nails” and “inancially very sound,” Estes said.

(continued on Page 14)

Drewing leads car market comeback ... continued from Page 1

RANKING COLUMBIA’S DEALER

#1. Joe Machens Ford-Lincoln Mercury 1911 W. Worley joemachensford.com Gary Drewing, owner

New vehicle sales Used Total 2007: 4,054 5,048 9,1022008: 3,539 5,282 8,8212009: 3,519 5,880 9,399% change New Sales Used Total From 2007 -13.2% +16.5% +3.2 From 2008 -0.6% +11.3% +6.6%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 1,2862010: 1,535Change from 2009: +19.36% Last year's rank: #1

Gary Drewing

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#1

#2

#3

ToTal sales 2006: 9,493

2007: 9,102

2008: 8,821

2009: 9,399

Joe Machens Ford

New vehicle sales Used Total 2007: 3,023 2,038 5,0612008: 2,627 2,134 4,7612009: 2,118 2,476 4,594% change New sales Used Total From 2007 -29.9% +21.5% -9.2% From 2008 -19.4% +16% -3.5%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 6322010: 664Change from 2009: +5% Last year's rank: #2

ToTal sales 2006: 3,493

2007: 5,061

2008: 4,761

2009: 4,594

Joe Machens Toyota-scion

#2. Joe Machens toyota-scion900 Bernadette Drivejoemachenstoyota.comGary Drewing, owner

New vehicle sales Used Total 2007: 325 991 1,3162008: 300 770 1,0702009: 636 2,201 2,837% change New sales Used TotalFrom 2007 +95.7% +122.1% +115.6 From 2008 +112% +185.8% +165.1%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 3562010: 503Change from 2009: +41.3 Last year's rank: #8

ToTal sales 2006: 1,221

2007: 1,316

2008: 1,070

2009: 2,837

Joe Machens automotive Group

#3 Joe Machens automotive Group (Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Cadillac, Pontiac)500 Vandiver Drivejoemachensgm.comGary Drewing, owner

New vehicle sales Used Total2007: 1,393 1,291 2,6842008: 1,038 1,222 2,2602009: 1,196 1,112 2,308% change New sales Used TotalFrom 2007 -14.1% -13.9% -14% From 2008 +15.2% -9% +2.1%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 3162010: 357Change from 2009: +13% Last year's rank: #3

#4. Bob McCosh Chevrolet1 Business Loop 70bobmccoshchevrolet.comBob McCosh, owner

New vehicle sales Used Total 2007: 639 1,108 1,7472008: 509 973 1,4822009: 521 1,111 1,632% change New sales Used TotalFrom 2007 -18.5% +0.3% -6.6% From 2008 +2.5% +14.2% +10.1%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 2582010: 200Change from 2009: -22.5% Last year's rank: #4

#5. Head Motor Company710 Business Loop 70 W.headmotorcompany.comSteven and Stewart Head, owners

New vehicle sales Used Total2007: 433 716 1,1492008: 418 708 1,1262009: 450 626 1,076% change New sales Used Total From 2007 +3.9% -12.6% -6.3% From 2008 +7.7% -11.6% -4.4%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 1952010: 132Change from 2009: -32.3% Last year's rank: #6

#6. University Chrysler Jeep Dodge1310 Vandiver Driveuniversitychrysler.comDanny Burks and Dave Drane, owners

Brian Bailey, Joe Benne new vehicle sales managers

’S DEALERSHIPS Columbia Dealerships total sales

source: Missouri Department of Revenue

#4

#5

#6

Last year's rank: #3

ToTal sales 2006: 2,702

2007: 2,684

2008: 2,260

2009: 2,308

Bob McCosh Chevrolet

Last year's rank: #4

ToTal sales 2006: 1,418

2007: 1,747

2008: 1,482

2009: 1,632

Head Motor Company

Last year's rank: #6

ToTal sales 2006: 1,005

2007: 1,149

2008: 1,126

2009: 1,076

University Chrysler Jeep Dodge

#7 Frank Fletcher Honda*1717 N. Providence, centralmohonda.com, Frank Fletcher, owner

New vehicle sales Used Total2007: 774 423 1,1972008: 660 350 1,0102009: 604 402 1,006% change New sales Used Total From 2007 -22% -5% -16% From 2008 -8.5% +14.7% -0.4%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 2002010: 183Change from 2009: -8.5% Last year's rank: #9

ToTal sales 2006: 1,476

2007: 1,197

2008: 1,010

2009: 1,006

Frank Fletcher Honda

#7

New vehicle sales Used Total 2007: 822 734 1,5562008: 629 568 1,1972009: 477 416 893% change New sales Used TotalFrom 2007 -42% -43.3% -42.6%From 2008 -24.2% +26.8% -25.4%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 1722010: 172Change from 2009: 0% Last year's rank: #5

ToTal sales 2006: 1,469

2007: 1,556

2008: 1,197

2009: 893

estes Motors

#8 estes Motors1300 Vandiver Drive, columbiahyundaimo.com, Larry Estes, owner

New vehicle sales Used Total 2007: 224 442 6662008: 191 455 6462009: 160 670 830% change New sales Used Total From 2007 -28.6% +51.6% +24.6% From 2008 -16.2% +47.3% +28.5%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 1152010: 118Change from 2009: +2.6% Last year's rank: #10

ToTal sales 2007: 666

2008: 646

2009: 830

Joe Machens BMW

#9 Joe Machens BMW1510 I-70 Drive S.W., joemachensbmw.com, Gary Drewing, owner

New vehicle sales Used Total2007: 606 585 1,1912008: 614 504 1,1182009: 373 401 774% change New sales Used TotalFrom 2007 -38.5% -31.5% -35% From 2008 -39.3% -20.4% -30.8%Jan. 1-April 30 total vehicle sales2009: 1142010: 380Change from 2009: +233.3% Last year's rank: #7

ToTal sales 2006: 649

2007: 1,191

2008: 1,118

2009: 774

Joe Machens Nissan

#10 Joe Machens nissan201 Nebraska Ave., joemachensnissan.com, Gary Drewing, owner

#8

#9

#10

2007: 26,669

2008: 23,491

2009: 25,349

One-year change: 7.9%

two-year change: -1.25%

Jan-april 2009: 3,644

Jan-april 2010: 4,244

One-year change: 16.5%

steven and stuart Head

*Purchased from Don Albert in April 2010.

Dan Burks and Dave Drane

Brian Bailey, Joe Benne new vehicle sales managers

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SPECIAL SECTION | automotive

Multi-Par real estate auction method will be utilized. This computer enhanced method of selling real estate at auction gives bidders the ability to bid on individual tracts, combinations of individual tracts or the entire property at anytime throughout the auction.

AUCTIONEERS NOTE: The structures are extremely well built with attention given to every detail to provide usefulness and durability. This well-maintained property is ready for immediate occupancy. DNR acceptance of Closure Certifi cation and Release from Financial Assurance for Closure Liability Insurance documentation is available for inspection.

For a private showing or to receive a detailed prospectus please call or email Wheeler Auctions’ Representative, Charlie Nordwald at 636-795 or Charlie@wheelerauctions.com

SELLER: SID’S AUTO SALES & SERVICE, INC.

The auction will consist of 56.9 acres two large commercial industrial or agriculture buildings that consist of:

22,000 sq. ft. to be offered in four tracts

FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2010 • Starting at 11:00 AMPROPERTY LOCATION: One mile east of Tipton, Missouri on Highway 50.

Auction will be conducted on site in the large building located on Tract 1.

REAL ESTATE AUCTION!56.9 ACRES, 2 COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS - 22,000 SF

LAND OFFERED IN 4 TRACTS

For more details on the division of Tracts please visit our website at

www.wheelerauctions.com

Mahindra trucks recently passed Environmental Protection Agency standards, Estes said, and he hopes to begin selling them by late fall. Once the new vehicles become available, Estes said he will be one of eight or nine dealers in Missouri to carry the trucks and one of 320 in the nation.

Although Estes acquired a new franchise, another local franchise acquired new ownership. Don Albert, owner of Albert Honda, sold his Providence Road Honda dealership to Arkansas-based Frank Fletcher Motors in late April. Although Albert Honda only sold 0.4 percent less vehicles in 2009 than it did in 2008, Fletcher General Manager Mike Hodges said new owner-ship has doubled sales at the location during May.

During Albert's best months, Hodges said, the company would sell about 40 new cars. Fletcher sold 83 new vehicles in May and plans to move an additional 105 to 110 in June.

Hodges said one of Fletcher's advantages is the volume of cars it has at its disposal. Currently, the dealership has 250 on its lot and many more ready to ship as soon as space is made.

“You could call up six Honda dealerships right now, and six total wouldn't have as much inventory as I have,” Hodges said.

The large inventory Fletcher has at its disposal allows the dealership to provide customers with what Hodges described as “aggressive pricing.”

“We don't have to make the extra proit on them because of the volume we do,” he said. “We don't have shareholders. We don't have all these crazy expenses. Everything is paid for, so our overhead is very low.”

Not content with just doubling Albert's sales, Hodges said the dealership’s goal is to eventually sell 150 to 170 vehicles a month and become the largest Honda dealership in Missouri. Fletcher has already scouted four possible locations in Columbia to build a new dealership, and Hodges said the move is expected to be complete in the next 12 to 18 months.

Drewing is also planning to build larger facilities for the Toyota, Mercedes and Cadillac dealerships. The majority of the expansion expected to be inished by next spring will be located

near the intersection of 63 and Stadium Boulevard or on land the company owns on Business Loop 70.

With rising sales numbers, new locations, new ownerships and new products, dealers expressed hope for the future — tempered with caution.

“I think the car industry is on the recovery mode; it's picking up every month,” Estes said. “Don't get me wrong; it's not all wine and roses out there. I think it's going to be a tough year, but it's going to be a year that if you watch your expenses closely and you watch everything closely, it will be OK.” v

Automotive market ... continuedfromPage11

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SPECIAL SECTION | automotive

‘We’re No. 4!’

Dave & Dan, the anti-dealers, bragByJeremy Essig

Rather than standing among a shining sea of new cars and shouting about great deals, University Chrysler owners Dave Drane and Danny Burks promoted their dealership by spending a day at the hair salon.

The television ad begins with Burks telling a woman getting her hair done that she would look "marvelous" as a blonde. After a brief dis-cussion of her recent purchase from University Chrysler, the ad showed Burks and Drane play-ing with salon equipment, Drane asking for a "little off the top" of his bald head and, inally, Burks snoring under a hair dryer, while Drane reads a magazine.

The hair salon skit is one of many that have set University apart from the stereotypical auto-motive ad and established the two owners as the jesters of the local market. Subsequent ads have shown Burks being defeated by a child in karate and the two attempting to assist another former customer in holiday meal preparation.

According to Burks, the impetus behind the ads — at least at irst — was to introduce the two owners to the community when they took over the dealership in 2004.

"We had to take the store in a new direction and get people to know what we were and make it ours, Burks said. "We're just regular guys; we're from this area; we're approachable."

The irst commercials were made in true do-it-yourself fashion, with the two owners devel-oping the concepts themselves and shooting the spots with Burks' home video camera.

"The idea was to make fun of us," Drane said of the early commercials. "One of our irst cam-paigns was, ‘We're No. 4’ ... The idea of that was

very few people have ever won anything, you know, ever been irst at anything. But a lot of people have been fourth."

Although it might seem an unusual introduc-tion for new owners in a competitive auto mar-ket, both owners said sales numbers are not the main focus of the dealership.

"We need to sell a certain amount of numbers from a business standpoint to make everything work," Burks said. "But our real concern is the relationship that we have with the customers, that we do well in the community and we can take care of our employees. If we can do all that, it really doesn't matter if we sell as many as someone across town or not."

Drane and Burks stressed the importance of being part of the community. Both were raised in the Columbia area, and Drane said both of their families have been in Boone County for more than 200 years.

"We're part of this community; we care about this community," Drane said.

And while University Chrysler has moved to a new location on Vandiver and begins the pro-cess of restocking inventory following Chrysler's restructuring, Drane's goals remain the same.

"The measure for success for us is when we can walk out on the showroom loor and have a nice conversation with people that we know, that we've done business with," Drane said. v

University Chrysler owners Dave Drane and Danny Burks ilm a TV ad.

longtime customer Ruth York shares a laugh with Dave Drane at University Chrysler Jeep Dodge.

Drane and Burks prepare a turkey in one of the dealership's ads.

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Location: 700 Vandiver Drive Owner: Tom Schranck, 499-0700

Tom Schranck said he hopes his recently opened used car deal-ership will attract customers turned off by the experience of nego-tiating for prices at other dealerships.

Schranck, who’s worked in the auto sales industry for 27 years, opened TW Auto on Vandiver Drive between three large fran-chise dealers: Joe Machens Automotive, University Chrysler and Estes Motors. Schranck said he hopes his location will stand out for its upfront, relaxed sales environment.

"I'm very low-key, laid back," Schranck said. "If I tell (a cus-tomer) a price, there are no hidden fees."

A former Joe Machens used-car department manager, Schranck began his career at age 20 working for a dealership in St. Louis. In 1993, he moved to Jefferson City to work for Mike Kehoe before ending up at Machens, a job he left in 2008.

Schranck said he had been eying the location on Vandiver for awhile, and when he saw the former occupants, Auto Link, had closed, he began looking into setting up shop. Schranck signed the lease on the location Jan. 1 and got the dealership up and run-ning at the beginning of March.

Schranck said he hopes to hire someone to run the day-to-day operations sometime in the future, which would allow Schranck to travel the country searching for vehicles. In 2009, Schranck said he spent 40 weeks on the road, a schedule that has slowed to one out of every three weeks since opening the dealership.

While in Columbia, Schranck said he knows the type of cus-tomer he wants to cultivate for TW Auto.

"My basic target is people who are looking for a irst or second car that has been checked out pretty well," he said, noting that the average price of his vehicles ranges from $5,000 to $10,000. v

TW Autonew business uPdATE

Tom schranck

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Columbia Computer OutletWilliam S. Angel888-377-291118 E. Business Loop 70 Suite BComputer sales/service

Columbia Jazzercise Center573-823-7600Laura Jean Kitzi120 E. Nifong Blvd.Suite CFitness studio

Crazy 8 #6087Gymboree Retail Stores Inc.573-445-43852300 Bernadette DriveSuite 412Retail children’s clothing

D & S Automotive, LLCDena J. Macias-Yanez573-474-22721404 Grand Ave.Suite AAutomotive repair

Dr. Carl’s Auto CareShahriyar Siraji573-673-07581722 B Paris RoadAutomotive repair

Halls Automotive Service Inc.Wade Harold Hall573-817-1565910 Dinwiddie CircleAutomotive repair

HerstylerBarbara Turner479-783-23122300 Bernadette DriveHair styling products

Hook’s Dealers Direct Inc.Elizabeth E Hook573-777-3113310 Tiger LaneSuite 2Used auto dealer

Hy-Vee Food and Drugstore #1082Hy-Vee, Inc.573-442-802825 Conley RoadGrocery

Petro Mart #51Western Oil Inc.1300 Fellows PlaceGas/convenience store

The Automotive GarageJames Brent Dodson573-446-20472308 Industrial DriveAutomotive repair

Moon Valley Massage TherapyAmber Nichole Treece573-578-5120Susan J. Eggener573-214-1866920 E. BroadwaySuite AMassage therapy

new business LICENSES

Mary Moss Earth Friendly Furniture(Opened June 9)Kay Wax573-864-93481400 Heriford RoadFeatures eco-friendly furniture and fabrics

BevincoKent Hendrix573-673-69743604 Ridgeview DriveBeverage inventory control system

Windsor Street Montessori(Opened May 26)Mary Windmiller1616 Windsor St.Montessori education

new opened BuSINESSES

Commerce Bank President Teresa Maledy said she asked architect John simon to turn her former corner ofice on the top loor into a conference room (shown here) so more people could enjoy the view along Broadway.

leFT: Commerce Bank hosted a reception on June 3 to show visitors the remodeled interior of the newly reopened main bank at Ninth and Broadway downtown.

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Karen Taylor, executive vice president of consumer banking at Boone County National Bank, was named the Outstanding Citizen of the Year by the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.

Taylor received the award at the 105th annual meeting and awards banquet on June 2 at the Hilton Garden Inn.

Lynda Baumgartner, study abroad coordinator for Stephens College, wrote in her nomination of Taylor that “Karen is all about change for the better. She is a visionary whose leadership skills in the end create a better community for all who live, work and play in Columbia.”

Fellow nominator Greg Steinhoff, executive vice president and director of sales at BCNB, wrote: “When she recognizes an op-portunity to make something right, to help somebody reach their potential or to make something better, she doesn’t turn her head and walk away; she seizes the moment. She is inspired, then she inspires. Time after time, the results are extraordinary.”

Taylor’s involvement and leadership with local organizations, in particular the Columbia Chamber of Commerce and Women’s Network, is extensive. She won the Women’s Network ATHENA Award in 2004.

Outside of the Chamber, Taylor has organized three local initiatives: Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Dolly Parton Imagination Library and Keep Columbia Safe.

The Dolly Parton Imagination Library program provides new-born babies in Columbia with a free book every month until age 5.

The Outstanding Citizen Award winners are nominated by their peers and selected by a special committee of the Chamber of Commerce. v

Chamber names Taylor Citizen of Year

Karen Taylor, center, lanked by Greg steinhoff and lynda Baumgartner.

leFT: Boone County Commissioner Karen Miller received the 2010 Debin Benish outstanding Businesswoman award at the Columbia Chamber of Commerce annual meeting. The annual award, named for the late founder of Delta systems, is a $1,000 business grant from Women’s Network and Delta systems that is targeted for local businesswomen who have achieved excellence in leadership, mentoring and volunteerism.

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ToP: attendees of the 2010 Chamber annual meeting enjoy a slideshow paying tribute to retiring Chamber Chair Byron Hill.

leFT: Paul land, the new Chamber chair, reads from Jeff Foxworthy's Complete Redneck Dictionary during his closing remarks at the 2010 Chamber annual meeting.

RIGHT: Byron Hill

U.S. Chamber praises state’s tax structureMissouri’s commitment to providing a favorable corporate tax structure placed it among the top

states in the country when it comes to growing jobs through enterprise-friendly tax and regulatory initiatives, according to a new study from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

The Enterprising States study highlights how state and local policies — including those in Missouri — play a vital role in spurring job creation and economic development.

“By embracing many of the strategies at the core of our free enterprise system — competitive tax rates, open trade and commonsense regulation — states are helping to jumpstart our economic recovery and create more jobs,” Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber, wrote in a letter to Gov. Jay Nixon.

The Enterprising States study was released as part of a recent U.S. Chamber event at which a group of Republican and Democratic governors discussed the role of the free enterprise system in job creation.

The Enterprising States study highlights six factors that drive job creation: innovation, productiv-ity through investments in workforce development and training, science and technology, infrastruc-ture, exporting and competitive tax rates.

Speciically, the study highlights how Missouri is playing a pivotal role in fostering the conditions for job growth by having one of the lowest corporate tax bills in the nation, supporting small busi-ness through the Show Me JOBS initiative and educating Missourians in high-tech ields through the Training for Tomorrow program.Entrepreneurship and innovation

As part of the Show Me JOBS initiative, the Department of Economic Development will work with the Missouri Development Finance Board to create a pool of funds for low or no-interest direct loans for small businesses to allow them to expand and create jobs.Workforce development and training

The Training for Tomorrow program is a $12 million initiative to educate Missourians in high-tech ields and get them working in growing industries. The grants will help Missouri community colleg-es create or expand training programs to serve additional students. Under Training for Tomorrow, member institutions of the Missouri Community College Association will partner with the govern-ment of the county to develop or expand programs to train Missourians in technical ields. Taxes and regulation

An important tax advantage for Missouri businesses is the amount of income considered taxable; only income earned in the state is taxed. Manufacturers’ inventories (raw materials, goods in process and inished goods), as well as goods and wares of retailers, distributors and wholesalers are exempt from property taxes in Missouri. v

(Link to the study: http://ncf.uschamber.com/enterprising-states)

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pubLiC RECORdDeeds of Trust more than $233,500 $15,000,000 COLUMBIA AREA JOBS FOUNDATIONBOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANKLT 2 CARFAX PLAT 2

$4,250,000 BROADWAY TOWNHOMESLANDMARK BANKSTR 17-48-12 /E/NW

$2,550,000 COLUMBIA AREA JOBS FOUNDATIONLEMONE, ROBERT M TRUSTLT 2 CARFAX PLAT 2

$1,993,500 LINEN KING REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLCARVEST BANKLT 24 CONCORDE OFFICE & INDUSTRIAL PLAZA PLAT 10

$1,500,000 JAJ LLCPROVIDENCE BANKSTR 11-46-12 /NW/SW SUR BK/PG: 1657/521 AC 37.89

$1,105,000 SOUTH CANYON VIEW LLCHAWTHORN BANKLT 2601 SOUTH CANYON VIEW CONDO

$800,000 OLD PLANK LLCBOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANKBROOKSIDE TOWNHOMES PLAT 1

$495,000 EULISS, RYAN & KIMBERLYMISSOURI ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES EMPLOYEES' CREDIT UNIONLT 126 OLD HAWTHORNE PLAT NO. 2

$417,000 DUDLEY, SCOTT & SUZANNE JEFFERSON BANK OF MISSOURILT 16 PL 1 HIGHLANDS

$417,000 BARNARD, DAVID ROBERT & MICHELLE ANNEUSAA FEDERAL SAVINGS BANKLT 221 THORNBROOK PLAT NO. 7

$400,000 ROBERTSON, H GLEN & LINDA LBOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANKLT 34 WOODLANDS PLAT 3A THE

$362,400 JANG, WOOSEUNG & PARK, HANABANK OF MISSOURI THELT 242 THORNBROOK PLAT NO. 7

$355,000 WELEK, JOHN M & FRANCES AMISSOURI CREDIT UNIONLT 32 COUNTRY WOODS SUB PLAT 2

$352,400 ODLE, JONATHAN & ANNTONETTEAMERISAVE MORTGAGE CORPLT 232 OLD HAWTHORNE PLAT NO. 2

$331,000 DUDLEY, SCOTT M & SUZANNE LPROVIDENCE BANKLT 16 PL 1 HIGHLANDS

$330,000 BOWDEN, COREY GLANDMARK BANKSTR 28-47-12 /NE/NE SUR BK/PG: 855/254 AC 10

$329,600 BELL, ROBERT D & CRYSTAL LLANDMARK BANKLT 4 VEMER'S BEND

$310,000 JCC 2007 THE REVOCABLE TRUSTBOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANKLT 1405 HIGHLANDS PLAT 14-B THE

$304,000 ROGERS, TAUNIA K & THOMAS MTOP FLITE FINANCIAL INCLT 24 STEEPLECHASE ESTATES PLAT NO. 1

$290,000 OLIVER, TODD & MARY JANEHAWTHORN BANKSTR 23-48-14 /E/NE SUR BK/PG: 3011/106 FF TRACT 4

$285,000 DOLLIVER, ROBERT H IV & LISALANDMARK BANKLT 26 STEEPLECHASE ESTATES PLAT NO. 1

$284,500 PAGE, MATTHEW PBOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANKLT 41 GREENBRIAR SUB

$276,000 CHENG, JIANLIN & WU, LIWENU S BANKLT 304 CASCADES PLAT NO 3 THE

$271,581 BIERK, JACEN C & AMY NCALLAWAY BANK THELT 154 BELLWOOD PLAT NO. 1

$271,005 O'NEIL, ERIC W & ALYSHA MFLAT BRANCH MORTGAGE INC.LT 35 EASTLAND HILLS ESTATE PLAT 1

$260,800 STEINBERG, GENE & LEEDER, LAWRENCE E IIILANDMARK BANKLT 31 WOODRIDGE SUB BLK 6

$252,040 WEHMEYER, DOUGLAS ALVIN & HONEY LEECRESCENT MORTGAGE CO.STR 18-50-12 /SE/SE SUR BK/PG: 752/439 FF TRACT 9

$250,000 PEPMILLER, CRAIG E & CYNTHIA MMISSOURI CREDIT UNIONLT 8 WOODRAIL SUB PLAT 6

$250,000 REMIS, ROBERT E & JACKIE LBANK OF MISSOURI THELT 4 WOODS EDGE SUB PLAT 1

$247,435 FALLAHIAN, AMIR H & BAKESHLOO, SHAHRZAD AFSHARVANDYK MORTGAGE CORPORATOINLT 209 THORNBROOK PLAT NO. 7

$238,500 JONES, JACK D JRBANK OF MISSOURI THELT 305 STONERIDGE ESTATES PLAT 3

$233,923 COFFMAN, RANDY L & BRENDA JU S BANKLT 44 MONTEREY HILLS PLAT NO. 1

$233,500 SIPE, CODY BISHOP & DANIELLE RENEEFCS FINANCIALSTR 13-49-14 //SE

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Steady Hand, Artistic Vision: Jewelry maker Andrea JiraByKeija Parssinen

For Andrea Jira, former membership director at the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, becoming an artist was more of inevitability than a choice.

As a child growing up in Kansas City, Jira’s irst gifts were a pottery wheel and a calligraphy set, which she received before knowing how to write cursive. By heritage, she is Mexican and Spanish, and her parents took their children to festivals and fairs that sparked Jira’s early imagination. Today, her mother is a dedicated mosaic artist and furniture painter, and Jira’s sister creates charcoal sketches and also makes jewelry.

From that foundation, Jira has built a life around art, speciically the making of bold jewelry from materials ranging from ine silver to bronze to clay to glass and fabric.

“About 15 years ago, I went into a store and saw a pair of earrings and said, ‘I can do that,’” Jira said of her irst moment of inspiration.

She started doing beading and working with gemstones in their natural state; she preferred the rugged look of the stones prior to being polished and facet-ed. The resulting pieces were elegant but strong and hinted at the paradox that would become a Jira trademark.

“The majority of my clients are very powerful, strong women,” she said. “Not everyone can pull off larger pieces.”

While working to establish herself, Jira served as a walking billboard for her jewelry and wore her pieces around town and on vacations with her husband. The idea worked; her jewelry caught the attention of several lifelong fans, includ-ing local couple Erik and Andrea Morse and Rebecca Staebler, owner of the Hub Bubb boutique in Chehalis, Wash., who now regularly displays Jira’s jewelry.

“She bought the jewelry I was wearing right off my body,” Jira said of Staebler. Erik Morse worked with Jira at the Chamber of Commerce and often compli-

mented her on her unique accessories. Finally, in search of a present for his wife’s birthday, Morse asked Jira where she had purchased her jewelry. When she told him she made the pieces she wore, he hired her on the spot to design a custom necklace.

“The piece was meant to represent us as a family,” Andrea Morse said of the irst of ive Jira pieces she now owns. “I was pregnant with Oliver, so there were three circles and a dot.”

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“ “In the construction business we hire sub-contractors to

take care of different trades on each construction project. We trust

them to work with our best interest in mind and perform on a supe-

rior level. We have the same expectations with regards to our insur-

ance program. Matt and Jake have earned our trust and allow us to

focus on what we do best.”

Scott Daugherty, Owner

Fairway Meadows Corporation/Daugherty Construction”

That allusive dot is typical of Jira’s playful style. As she spreads her work on the table, she shows a ring whose three lat rocks spin freely on a wire axis. A silver lower ring features an intricate and unexpected ladybug perched in the folds of the metal blossom.

“You learn to be patient working on such a small scale,” Jira said. “You develop a steady hand.”

During the years, in her ongoing search for new materials, Jira has learned how to solder silver and ire bronze in a coal kiln at 1650 degrees.

“I love pulling it [bronze] out of the red hot charcoal,” she said. “When it touches the air, the colors explode. It’s like Christmas. I truly love it.”

Because she works with natural materials and uses processes that aren’t entirely predictable, she can never replicate any one piece exactly. Although this is frustrating for admiring friends of clients, it guarantees that each item is unique.

“She’s deinitely got collectors,” said Lisa Bartlett, owner of Artlandish Gallery, one of the places where Jira’s work can be found locally. “They feel as if they’re wearing a little work of art.”

Right now, Jira is busy exploring glass and creating whimsical three-dimensional boxes in beautiful, pearlescent hues. She fas-tens one around her neck and smiles. The glass catches the blue-green of her eyes, changes colors and glows subtly. There is a sly playfulness about it. But most evidently and pleasingly, the artist is having fun. v

During the years, in her ongoing search

for new materials, Jira has learned how

to solder silver and ire bronze in a

coal kiln at 1650 degrees.