Chamber Updates

Planning in 2023 The second quarter of 2023 is well underway, and the economy seems to have stayed more stable than expected at the start of the year. Now is a great time for business leaders to revisit, review and refocus on their 2023 plans. At the end of 2022 projections for business activity and…

2022 Population Estimates Show a Continued Trend of Loss in Southeast Missouri Last week the U.S. census office released updated county population estimates as of July 1, 2022. While the State of Missouri as a whole and Cape Girardeau County showed estimated growth in population the overall picture for southeast Missouri is a continued decline.…

Spring Cleaning! Spring is officially here and hopefully the spring weather will be pleasant and long lasting this year. The seasonal transition to spring has traditionally implied renewal and refreshment as nature shakes off the dormancy of winter and blossoms anew. Spring can also be a great time for businesses to refresh and renew with…

Watch out for Phishing! This is a Secure Message! That was the simple subject line of an email that came from me last Tuesday afternoon. Unfortunately, I didn’t send that message, instead I had fallen for a Phishing scam a few weeks earlier and the result was someone had gained access to my email and…

Daylight Savings Sunday morning at two am we officially moved to “Daylight Savings” as clocks were moved forward one hour. This annual event that first started in Germany in 1916 and began in the U.S. on March 19, 1918 often leads to groggy mornings, tired employees and according to research done at the University of…

SB 94 Aims to Increase Film, TV, and Touring Events in Missouri Missouri Senate Bill 94 known as the “Show MO Act” and the “Entertainment Industry Jobs Act” received first chamber support last Monday when it was approved by the Missouri Senate on a 20-12 vote. The goal of the legislation to provide incentives for…

New Programs to Expand Childcare Access Could Reduce Workforce Inequality A January 2023 report from the World Economic Forum found that “The pandemic negatively impacted women much more than men: while women constituted approximately 39% of the global workforce, they suffered 54% of the job losses.” A study from the University of Arkansas found that one factor may be…

Public Safety Investments That Benefit Business Operations Cost On Wednesday, February 8, 2023, the Cape Girardeau Fire Department announced the lowering of the city’s PPC rating from a 4/4X to a 3/3X. This recognition of improvement in our fire safety and response capability is related to the work for our city organization to invest in…

Business Policy HR Practices & Recreational Marijuana On Friday, February 3, 2023, the State of Missouri officially joined 20 other US States and the District of Columbia as Recreational Marijuana sales began throughout the state. For businesses with employees this may mean a need to review your policies, procedures, and HR practices to ensure your…

New Trends in Retail and Live Digital Shopping The retail shopping landscape is a constantly changing and evolving practice. Looking back through the trends of the last century that included catalog shopping pioneered by leaders like Sears Roebuck & Co, Montgomery Ward’s, and Eastbay, to the shift to retail centers and malls of the seventies…