Briefly in the News: September

Energy Efficient

The OHM office building has been awarded an Energy Star rating of 98 from the Environmental Protection Agency, making the building among the top 2 percent of U.S. office buildings in energy efficiency. The building was designed by CM Engineering and Simon Oswald Architecure and houses SOA, CM Engineering and Working Spaces, and is located at 2801 Woodard Drive. The building uses ground source heat pumps connected to 18 vertical geothermal bores for its heating, ventilation, and air conditioning. It also circulates water through the entire system with a one-pipe, closed loop, and LED lighting systems provide balanced light with less electrical consumption. The various energy saving strategies put the 12,000-square-foot office building’s total electrical costs at $22 per day.

VU Recognized Again

Veterans United Home Loans was named No. 19 on the 2016 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials list by the Great Place to Work Institute and Fortune. The 100 Best Workplaces for Millennials was published in conjunction with the 20 Best Workplaces for Gen X and the 20 Best Workplaces for Baby Boomers. VU made the list based on responses by team members to anonymous survey questions discussing the levels of trust, pride, and camaraderie experienced in the workplace. VU is also ranked No. 30 on the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For list by Great Place to Work and Fortune.

Landmark Bank Recognized

Landmark Bank, under The Landrum Company, was ranked seventh out of 217 mid-size banks in a ranking from American Banker magazine and Capital Performance Group. Landmark Bank has 42 locations in 29 communities across Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri and has $2.4 billion in assets. Capital Performance Group ranks banking institutions based on their three-year return on average equity, and the group defines mid-size banks as banking companies with $2 billion to $10 billion in assets. The Landrum Company, of which Landmark is a subsidiary, posted 15.19 percent on the ranking by Capital Performance Group.

St. James  Best Wine

St. James Winery’s 2015 vignoles won the 2016 Missouri Governor’s Cup, which is awarded to the best wine in Missouri. A panel of eight judges sampled 308 wines from around the state before awarding the Governor’s Cup to St. James. The winery, which was established in 1970, now sells wine in 18 states.

PureFit Expands

The PureFit Meals program, a meal delivery service, has expanded in the Columbia area with new delivery options, a new pick-up location, and new snack options for local businesses and residents. PureFit Meals provides locally prepared foods that are healthy and gluten-free for delivery or pick-up. The new delivery times and more food options help promote healthy eating by making the foods more accessible and convenient.

Rural Support

With the help of a $1 million donation, FCS Financial has established the FCS Financial Rural Community and Agriculture Foundation. The donation was administered by the Community Foundation of Central Missouri and will support the Jefferson City-based cooperative’s long-term commitment to the agricultural industry and rural communities in Missouri. The FCS Financial Rural Community and Agriculture Foundation was established to celebrate the company’s 100th business anniversary this year. The business was founded in 1916 when President Woodrow Wilson signed the Farm Credit Act and it now serves 102 Missouri counties.

MU Health

MU Health Care has been recognized as one of the nation’s “Most Wired” health systems for the sixth consecutive year in the 2016 Most Wired Survey. The survey was released this summer by the American Hospital Association’s Health Forum and recognizes hospitals and health systems that make progress in IT areas including infrastructure, business and administrative management, clinical quality and safety, and clinical integration. MU Health Care was recognized for the use of the MU Healthe patient portal, allowing patients to manage appointments, request prescription refills, securely message providers, access immunization history, and view their physician’s notes online after a visit.

New Parking Meters

City council distributed $158,000 for city parking revisions, which include repairing a parking ramp stairwell, increasing the budget for the parking division, and replacing about 1,750 coin-slot parking meters for credit card-friendly meters. The parking meters are scheduled to be installed within a three-year period, depending
on funding.

State Farm Donation

MU received a $128,600 donation from State Farm Insurance to help support various programs at the university that are a part of the “Mizzou: Our Time to Lead” campaign. The funded programs include MU Extension’s Fire and Rescue Training Institute, the MU Health Care Frank Mitchell Trauma Center, the Trulaske College of Business’s Risk Management and Insurance Program, the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences Office for Financial Success, and the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences Family Impact Center. State Farm has now given more than $1.8 million to MU.