With several bond and tax proposals on the local election ballot, and the potential for a defeat or two, April 7 could turn into Black Tuesday for local officials. There are some pretty heavy revenue issues on the ballot, and the feeling among potential voters toward them seems pretty tepid. The April election typically draws […]
From the Roundtable: April election could be bleak day for local officials Read More »
It is obvious in the selection of East Columbia EIS (Environmental Impact Study) of major street alternatives that no consideration was given to the development of viable neighborhoods. Slicing an improved Highway WW across the landscape leaves fragments of urban development cut off from logical future elementary school attendance areas and logical locations for future
Guest Editorial: Coordinated development in East Columbia lacking Read More »
Where would sick people go if Missouri hospitals shut down for four months? What would happen if Missouri trucking companies stopped hauling goods for 120 days? How would our economy be affected if every manufacturing plant in the state decided to cut production in half for months on end? These questions might seem ridiculous; few
Guest Editorial: Business doesn’t stop because it’s an election year Read More »
What marvelous timing! After a few weeks of work came this bulletin: The Columbia-area crime task force, involving several police agencies, has been disbanded. This effort from the onset was only temporary—something some of us may have forgotten. But the news and the apparent abruptness of the group’s disbanding could have been handled better from
From the Roundtable: Consider creative sentencing for youth causing crime increase Read More »
It’s easy to get lost in the new 2008 Winter Exhibit at the Perlow-Stephens Gallery on Broadway—lost in the worlds of nine local and regional artists, each with an original approach to telling a story. This is a show best taken in when you have time to spend—or in multiple visits, exploring one world
New exhibit features diverse media, common messages Read More »
You were the top salesperson for years. Then one day you accepted management’s offer to become a sales manager—and that’s when the nightmare began. That was the point at which you discovered the reality: The sales manager’s position is one of the most difficult positions in the company—caught between playing nursemaid to your people and
Smart Thinking: The mysteries of hiring salespeople unlocked: Part I Read More »
The National Venture Capital Association has released its 2008 predictions for the industry. The findings are encouraging. 2008 should be an active year for VCs. In particular, 80 percent of NVCA members foresee growth in the cleantech sector, those innovative products and services that enhance performance, productivity and efficiency while protecting the environment and
Venture capitalists predict growth in ‘green,’ media, biotech industries Read More »
Mark Twain once wrote: “A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back when it starts to rain.” Unfortunately, Twain may have had a point about how some entrepreneurs see their bankers. Small-business owners often view their bankers as their adversaries rather than their
Statewide Director for Business Development College of Engineering, University of Missouri Extension AGE: 42 JOB DESCRIPTION: With economic development as the fourth mission of the university, my job is to provide leadership to the various business-development programs across the state. The breadth of these programs includes everything from helping to start companies, to commercializing technology,
The new year had barely dawned when the economy sent a strong message that uncertainty underlies the months ahead, especially for the financial-services sector that provides much of the revenue needed for growth in Columbia and elsewhere. Already strained by a housing slump and a credit crunch, employment figures for December showed an actual national
MU banking chair urges caution amid economic uncertainty Read More »
