June: Briefly in the News
Hastings+Chivetta Hastings+Chivetta, a St. Louis firm that provides architectural planning and design services, opened its first office in Columbia in the historic Hamilton-Brown Shoe Factory building on Wilkes Boulevard.
Trep Takeover
Columbia College business administration student Adam Smith took first place in this year’s Fishman Entrepreneur of the Year pitch competition with his idea, Solar Nomad. The project would “allow people to construct their own solar panels, helping reduce monthly utility costs,” according to a press release.
“It was exciting to see the number of student startups participate in the competition,” says Raja Bhattacharya, director of the Fishman Center for Entrepreneurship. “Really, all of these students are winners, as each will receive a year’s worth of guidance from the Fishman Center.”
As the winner of the competition, Smith received $3,000 to help get his project started, and he will serve on the Fishman Center for Entrepreneurship advisory board for one year.
Autism Friendly
The University of Missouri Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders recently launched a new training program for local businesses that want to be more welcoming to individuals and families affected by autism. The Autism Friendly Business program consists of training employees on how to welcome and support customers affected by autism. The program also acts as a roadmap for incorporating strategies and procedures to support customers with autism and how to establish long-term relationships.
“The goal of our training is to make communities across Missouri more inclusive,” says Karen O’Connor, an assistant research professor at MU and one of the lead developers of the Training Experts in Autism for Missouri program at the Thompson Center of Autism at MU.
Leadership 500
The MU Trulaske College of Business was recognized by the 36th Annual Telly Awards for its Centennial Speaker.
“We featured 10 of our distinguished alumni and friends to talk about the current state of business and what’s around the corner, and, in particular, how we’re preparing our students for the future of those industries,” says Joan Gabel, dean of the Trulaske College of Business.
In addition to the Telly Awards, the Trulaske College of Business was also one of the recipients of the Leadership 500 Awards for outstanding achievements in leadership development and programs at the LEAD2015 forum in Dallas.
Our Heroes
The Columbia Daily Tribune’s 14th annual Hero Awards took place on April 13. Here’s a look at this year’s winners: Individual Volunteer of the Year: Mary Burger; Group Volunteer of the Year: Calvary Episcopal Church; Youth Volunteer of the Year: Danny Harre; Outstanding Volunteer in the Arts: Mellodie Wilson; Outstanding Volunteer in Health Care: Gerald Harrington; Outstanding Volunteer in Community Protection: Nanette Chun-Ming Ward; Outstanding Volunteer in Education/Literacy: John T. Conway.
Assist App
Assist (Community), created by Vincent Vitale and Evan Leong in 2015, is an app that uses LinkedIn to match entrepreneurs in the immediate area.
Users can narrow their search by entering skills they can offer and what kind of services they are looking for. The free app is available for iPhone users with iOS 7 and 8.
“Our goal for Assist is to create a platform that allows people to network to create a contact list to allow any business to succeed.” Vitale said in a press release. “Too many great ideas fail because entrepreneurs can’t get in contact with the people and services they need.”
Pedestrian Power
The Columbia Police Department and GetAbout Columbia teamed up to conduct a Pedestrian Safety Campaign in April. During the warning phase, 30 contacts were made for various pedestrian violations. During the enforcement phase, 30 contacts were made, and around 12 citations were issued.
The Connection Exchange
Co-creators Cara Owings and Jennifer Schenck recently launched the Connection Exchange as a way to “provide a warm welcome to new business owners to the Columbia business community and in turn produce effective and affordable lead gen to its sponsoring businesses.”
“We actively connect professionals on a daily basis,” Owings says, “so this was a natural fit, and the business model quickly took shape. We just defined a business process around our strengths and the interest of putting people together that would benefit from each other’s services.”
The Connection Exchange is currently seeking sponsors who would like to participate in placing marketing materials and promotional items in its gift baskets.
Joining Forces
LINCO Bancshares Inc., the parent company for Providence Bank, and Community First Bancorp, the parent company for Community First Bank, announced that Community First Bank will be merged into Providence Bank. The merger will add Community First Bank’s headquarters at 4600 N. Illinois St. in Fairview Heights, Illinois, to Providence Bank’s existing banking network located throughout Missouri and Texas. The combined financial institution is expected to have total assets approximating $900 million.
Moore Hair Salon
Katrina Moore established Moore Hair Salon LLC Home Hair Care Service to help people who are physically or mentally confined to their homes feel pampered and beautiful. Currently, Moore Hair Salon Home Hair Care Service offers services for individuals including senior citizens, people who use wheelchairs, individuals with mental or developmental disabilities and individuals suffering from a temporary disability from surgery. Services that the traveling salon provides include haircuts, a wet roller set, hot-iron set, up-do or braids, cosmetic consulting, facial waxing and special accommodating shampoo services or bedside shampoo services.
$10 Million Music
Jeanne and Rex Sinquefield gave a $10 million gift, the largest gift ever given to support the arts at MU, to help fund the proposed new MU School of Music building.
Wings, Wings, Wings
The new downtown Columbia restaurant, Wingin Out, took over the former home of SubZone, located at 916 E. Broadway. This is its second location, with its first being located in Champaign, Illinois.
Statewide Designation for Stroke Care
MU Health Care was recently named one of Missouri’s first Level I Missouri State Time Critical Diagnosis Stroke Centers, which is the highest designation for stroke care.
9-Time Award Winning
Local creative agency Hub & Spoke took home nine American Advertising Awards, or ADDYs, at the American Advertising Federation of the Ozark’s ceremony on March 14. The awards included one Gold Award and eight Silver Awards.
Adams & Witt
Carmen Adams and Nancy Smarr-Witt, co-owners of Adams & Witt Property Professionals, were both born and raised in Boone County and in property-business families. Their website advertises “a combined 110 years of familial construction and property management experience.”
More MFA
MFA Oil Co. recently acquired Arkansas-based propane retailer Cunningham Propane.