Chamber Updates

Tricks and Treats to Keep the Last Two Months of the Year Productive It’s the last day of October and that means we only have two months or approximately forty workdays left before 2023 begins. In the spirit of Halloween, it’s time to think about some tricks and treats that can help make the end…

September Unemployment and Decline in the Labor Force Last week the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) released the September jobs report which showed a slight decrease in overall unemployment in Missouri down to 2.4%. Locally in the Cape Girardeau-Jackson statistical area our number held flat at 2.6%, slightly above the statewide average. While…

Infrastructure Important to Business Activity Two weeks ago, the Cape Girardeau community experienced the impact of a critical infrastructure failure when a large water main broke causing problems with the entire water system and creating the need for a boil water advisory. Water infrastructure, just roads, sewers, electric and gas utilities are one of the…

#SupportYourLocalChamber Day Wednesday October 19th is “Support Your Local Chamber Day” an annual event promoted by the U.S. Chamber to promote and recognize the value that local Chambers of Commerce bring to their communities and region. A chamber of commerce is a group of businesses and organizations that support the interests of its members. Each…

International Trade is Good for Business The Missouri Department of Economic Development International Trade and Investment Office will be visiting Cape Girardeau and Southeast Missouri last week providing an opportunity for area businesses to look at new markets for expansion. The International Trade and Investment Office is a team of experts representing the state of…

Employee Retention and Meeting Core Needs Employee retention is a high priority for businesses as the continued labor shortage affects hiring and recruitment. Is your business doing its best to keep employees by meeting their Core Needs? Staffing shortages, recruitment struggles and increasing retirements often mean that businesses have less staff to do more work…

Fall Activities are Good for Business Riverboats, Football Games, Music Festivals and more! Fall events and activities are bringing residents and guest out and about, are you ready to take advantage of the traffic? Between the work and effort of many local organizations like Old Town Cape, Visit Cape, SEMO as well as many individuals…

Small Business Grant Program The Missouri Department of Economic Development is currently receiving comments on guidelines for the Small Business Grant Program that will open in October. If your business was negatively impacted by the pandemic this program is meant for you. A total of $10 Million has been allocated to support the Small Business…

Labor Day On June 28, 1894, President Grover Cleveland singed Senate Bill 730 formally establishing Labor Day as a Federal Holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September. “Labor” is a key part of our regional economy and critical for business success, today is a great day to reflect on that. Historically Labor Day started…