Chamber Updates

Corporate Transparency Act Requires Action for Business Owners With only 10 weeks left in 2024, business owners and managers need to be aware of a new federal law requiring many business entities in the United States to file Beneficial Ownership Information with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) within the U.S. Department of the Treasury.…

Investing in Your Business with Professional Development This month has been busy at the Cape Chamber with several staff members on the road for a variety of conferences, programs, and training opportunities. Sometimes it feels difficult to make time to engage in professional development activities, but the value to your business can certainly outweigh the…

Taking Steps Now for a Great Fourth Quarter It may seem hard to believe it, but last week was the start of the fourth quarter for 2024! Now is a crucial time for businesses to focus and make sure they end the year in the strongest way possible. With the holiday season and year-end activities…

Show Me Careers Helps Connect Business and Education Last week, a group of educators from 7 different school districts took part in the Southeast Missouri Show Me Careers program hosted locally by the Missouri Chamber of Business & Industry, Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, SE MO REDi, and the Cape Chamber. Engaging with…

What Does the Fed Rate Cut Mean for Business Last Wednesday, the Federal Open Market Committee announced it would be cutting the federal funds interest rate by 50 basis points, the first cut the Federal Reserve has made since March 2020. While this is just the beginning, the cut may create several opportunities for businesses.…

Celebrating American Business Women’s Day This coming Sunday, September 22, is American Business Women’s Day, a holiday recognizing the founding of the American Business Women’s Association (ABWA) in 1949. According to a 2021 article titled Research: Adding Women to the C-Suite Changes How Companies Think published online by Harvard business Review, that is a good thing. The…

Transportation Key to Business Growth Last week I had the opportunity to attend a meeting with several community and business leaders in the region to talk about some access limitations for transportation here in our area. While there is no easy solution to solving complex transportation planning issues, it is certainly an important conversation to…

A Workforce in Flux Formally established in 1894, Labor Day is a federal holiday celebrated on the first Monday in September each year. “Labor” is a key part of our regional economy and critical for business success, today is a wonderful day to reflect on that. Historically, Labor Day started as a recognition of “Organized…

Ozarks Startup Weekend Designers, developers, and entrepreneurs, now is your opportunity to shine and turn concept into action with the Ozarks Starup Weekend event next month in Springfield. The Ozarks Startup Weekend, hosted by Codefi, is an intense 54-hour event designed to empower aspiring entrepreneurs to bring their startup ideas to life. Scheduled for September 13-15,…

Next Stop, the Windy City The new terminal at Cape Girardeau Regional Airport, code CGI begins operating this week and will be a nice new change for passengers. But the new terminal isn’t all that is new as CGI announces a change to air service and a return to the Windy City for Cape area…