Chamber Updates

Powering through Challenges Last Thursday the 2023 NFL Season kicked off in Primetime with the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs playing host to the upstart Detroit Lions. As a lifelong Chiefs fan, I was certainly hoping for a better outcome, and while the “Monday Morning Quarterbacking” started on Friday I still think there…

Labor Day and Workforce 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…

Recognition for work can boost business! The end of summer and the start of the school year brought with it a fast and furious return to activities, meetings, and projects at the Cape Chamber. As I was reflecting on the variety of events, planning, and programs that our staff and volunteers work to coordinate I…

Understanding Economic Development Tools – What is a CID? Last week the Cape Girardeau City Council held a public hearing for the creation of River City Centre Community Improvement District (CID). If approved, this would be the sixth CID created in Cape Girardeau to support development activity and growth. Understanding how and why to use…

Return of the School Year Means New Customers and Opportunity Next week school will resume throughout the region as the fall semester begins. For a college town like Cape Girardeau, the addition of hundreds of new students to the community creates a nice buzz, and an opportunity for business to make a first and hopefully…

Extending Summer with Baseball Tourism As the Month of August gets underway Summer is starting to wind down and the focus is turning to the upcoming school year. Fortunately, there are still a few days of summer left and that allows time for Baseball and more visitors to Cape Girardeau! Last night the Cape Catfish…

High Temperatures and Employee Safety Temperatures remain high for a second week now. Don’t forget to think about the impact that may have on your employees as they try to stay cool and productive. With temperatures in the area expected to break into the one-hundred-degree range this week, the threat of heat stress in the…

Finding Opportunity in Inconvenience Over the years I have heard grumblings from community members, businesses owners and some of the general populace anytime a special event our activity possibly disrupts the norm of the community. This could include critical construction or infrastructure projects that alters traffic, community events or special programs that affect the use…

Planning Ahead for Potential Impacts from Labor Disputes Last week, SAG-AFTRA announced it was going on strike, joining the WGA in disputes with Hollywood producers. While this contract dispute may certainly disrupt entertainment and media over the coming months, for business, the more important contract dispute to watch has an August 1 deadline and its…

Barriers to Work and the Renewed Emphasis on Childcare Today is the opening day for a new daycare center at John’s Pharmacy here in Cape Girardeau. The organization wasn’t planning to expand into the childcare business but after struggling to hire and retain employees with young children and recognizing a lack of accessible/affordable childcare in…