July 2009

It happened again: Yet another conversation with a frustrated business owner lamenting a dramatic loss of sales to an outside competitor. By “outside,” I mean “out of state.” Someone who wasn’t even on the radar a year ago is now eating their lunch. In each instance, the theme is the same. These competitors are aggressively

Most people have heard of the YUPPIE. You might even be a YUPPIE. But if you aren’t a YUPPIE, what are you? Are you a YAPPIE? (My dog Mia certainly is.) Perhaps you are a ZUPPIE or a WOOPIE. You might even be a GLAM. But what is a YAPPIE, a ZUPPIE and a WOOPIE.

The job market is tight, and so more adults are going back to school, education officials say. For many Columbia residents, hitting the books is made possible through the flexible hours, tuition reimbursement and internal education programs provided by their employers. Kimberly Moore, a 41-year-old Shelter Insurance employee, recently completed her undergraduate business degree at

Mel Toellner began his business 13 years ago when he and his wife and children became interested in Missouri birds as a family activity. The business has expanded to fill a 70,000-square-foot warehouse in Mexico, Mo., home of Songbird Essentials, and a retail store in Columbia’s Chapel Plaza Court. The company sells its products to

Columbia has always prided itself on its abundant opportunities for higher education. However, compared with other college towns with similar demographics, Columbia is missing a crucial component in its education infrastructure: a technical training facility for adults. Columbia, like Lafayette, Ind., Lincoln, Neb., Champaign-Urbana, Ill., and Iowa City, Iowa, is home to what’s known as