Heard on the Street

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|bold_on|NEW DIGS DOWNTOWN. The Downtown Springfield Association is temporarily relocating to offices donated by Springfield Public Schools at 331 E. Water St., the site of the Storefront School, sharing space with Founders Park, according to a DSA release. The move is the first step toward a one-stop shopping approach to downtown services. It is hoped that ultimately, DSA, Founders Park, Urban Districts Alliance, the Community Improvement District and ddec.net will all be housed in a single building, though a location is yet to be determined, according to DSA President Lisa Nally. |ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|UNITY. In other Downtown Springfield Association news, the DSA's board of directors has made a new commitment to provide a unified voice for all downtown businesses, large or small. DSA announced June 28 it will kick off a new membership campaign the first week of July culminating in a luncheon designed to orient members old and new to DSA, its role in the downtown scene and its relation to other agencies. Coinciding with the campaign kickoff, DSA will offer the Downtown Springfield Information line, at 866-0134, beginning July 7. It is designed to be "the definitive source for what to do downtown," according to a DSA release. DSA also has revised its Web site with updated information and a printable membership application at |bold_on|www.downtownspringfieldmo.com.|ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|PRO AM-ARAMA. The Buy.Com Ozarks Open has more than a new tour sponsor up its sleeve. This year's week-long event will include seven, count em, seven pro am tourneys, tentatively scheduled as follows: Aug. 7 The Ramey Price Cutter Charities Junior Pro Am at Highland Springs Country Club, the New Horizons Competitive Junior Pro Am at Hickory Hills Country Club and the Alltel Pro Am at Highland Springs; Aug. 8 the Silver Dollar City Pro Am at Ledgestone Country Club; Aug. 9 the Cadillac Dealers of the Ozarks Pro Am at Highland Springs and the Touchstone Energy Pro Am at Marshfield Country Club; and Aug. 12 the Citizens Memorial Healthcare Foundation Pro Am at Silo Ridge Country Club in Bolivar. Another highlight of this year's Ozarks Open will be three Colony Home Entertainment 19th Hole Parties, Aug. 10, 11 and 12, featuring Howie & the Hillcats, The Cate Brothers & M-Dock, and 7D Funk Inc., respectively.|ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|HBA ADDS ON. SBJ readers are by now well-acquainted with the Home Builders Association's annual Home Show in February, but HBA is building on its past success with a new trade show, the HBA Remodelers Show, Sept. 22-24 at University Plaza Trade Center. The first show of its kind in the area, it will feature remodeling contractors, suppliers and subcontractors who work in the fast-growing remodeling sector of the construction industry. Nationally, remodeling is expected to equal or exceed the dollars generated by new construction by the end of the year, according to Louise Henson, HBA executive officer. Admission to the show will be $3, and children under 12 will get in free. Exhibit space is still available. For more information, contact the HBA office at 881-3711 or via its Web site, |bold_on|www.springfieldhba.com.|ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|EXEMPTION. The first-ever Sponsor's Exemption Qualifier will be played July 24 at Millwood Golf and Racquet Club to determine who will receive the two sponsor's exemptions to play in the 2000 Buy.Com Ozarks Open, presented by Ramey Price Cutter Supermarkets Aug. 7-13. To be eligible, a golfer must have an attested handicap of five or better, must live in Missouri or within a 120-mile radius of Springfield, and must file his entry by 5 p.m. July 19. The entry fee is $200. The qualifier is sponsored by Pepsi-Cola General Bottlers. For more information or to request an application, call the Ozarks Open office at 887-3400.|ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|THE URGE TO MERGE. Arthur J. Gallagher Co., which operates as Gallagher-Morris Insurors in Springfield, has acquired Joe E. Martin Inc., a Springfield employee benefits broker and consultant specializing in group insurance, managed care, etc. The Martin company will become part of the Gallagher Benefit Services division. "We have been approached by many employee benefit firms over the years desiring to combine our resources, skills and services with theirs. Until now, there has never been a time in which we felt that our clients would benefit from those partnerships," said Joe E. Martin, president, in a press release. Bill Moore, of Gallagher Benefit Services in Springfield, added, "We are pleased to be joining forces with Joe E. Martin Inc. Joe, Lisa Clark-Czapansky and their support staff will fit in very well with our operation and with the Gallagher-Morris team, as well."|ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|MEETINGS FROM HELL. We've got to stop meeting ... this much. That's the conclusion of a recent survey of executives by Accountemps, a temporary staffing service for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The survey found that executives waste 7.8 hours a week, or 2.3 months a year, in needless meetings. That's up from the six hours a week, or 1.8 months a year, wasted that was reported in a 1990 survey. The SBJ editors assume wasted refers, at least in part, to a conspicuous lack of doughnuts at said meetings.|ret||ret||tab|

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|bold_on|SLICE OF NICE. Drive a Kid to Camp! is the rallying cry for the Springfield Family YMCA as it prepares for the 22nd annual Pottenger McNay Memorial Golf Classic. A four-person scramble at $500 per team, the event takes place July 10 at Millwood Golf and Racquet Club. Proceeds go to the Y's Camp Wakonda scholarship fund, helping give children the opportunity to experience camping. For more information, call Jennifer Lamb at 881-8273, ext. 104.|ret||ret||tab|

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