Heard On The Street

YOUTHFUL. Gregory W. Aleshire Sept. 25 was elected chairperson of the Missouri Bar Young Lawyers' Section. He is a member of Aleshire & Sivils PC, a Springfield firm. The Young Lawyers' Section represents the interests of Missouri Bar members who are 36 years old and younger, as well as members admitted to practice law within the past three years, regardless of their age. Dale M. Weppner of St. Louis was elected chairperson-elect of the section and D. Gregory Stonebarger, of Kansas City, was elected secretary-treasurer. The election was held during the Missouri Bar's 119th annual meeting at Lake of the Ozarks.

LOANS. The Springfield branch office of the U.S. Small Business Administration approved 370 loans for more than $53 million during its 1998 fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. A release from the local SBA said 131 loans were made in Greene County for more than $21 million. In Christian County, 21 loans for more than $2.7 million were approved and in Webster County 5 loans totalling $324,500 were approved. NationsBank led the pack of banks making SBA loans with 30 in 1998; Sac River Valley Bank had 26 loans; Commerce Bank and Empire Bank, 18; Metropolitan National Bank, Citizens National Bank and Great Southern Bank, 15; Central Bank of Lake of the Ozarks, 12; and Liberty Bank had 10 SBA loan approvals.

CUT THE MUSTARD. Reckitt & Colman Inc. Oct. 8 held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the opening of its new regional logistics center. The approximately 600,000-square-foot building will distribute Reckitt & Colman's household and food products to 14 states. The new center is next to the company's food manufacturing plant at 4455 E. Mustard Way.

SOLD. News from the auction of a 188-acre development in Shell Knob shows all of Windsor Bay was sold Sept. 12 . Sixteen different purchasers paid $731,000 for the residential and commercial lots. "Every bidder got a great deal with lots and tracts selling from 10 percent to 50 percent of retail," said spokesman Jeb Howell in an Auction Management Corp. release. The Atlanta-based company conducted the auction cooperatively with Shannon & Associates of El Dorado Springs. Windsor Bay LLC investors had differences that necessitated the auction sale. More than 100 people from six states attended the auction.

LOAN PURCHASE. The Missouri Housing Development Commission Oct. 1 approved a plan to purchase five mortgage loans from Habitat for Humanity Springfield Inc. It's the second time MHDC has purchased loans from the local group, having bought five loans in 1995. The loan purchases allow Habitat to fund construction of additional houses. The Springfield affiliate of the housing ministry has completed 23 houses since 1988 and has another four under construction. Habitat sells to qualified families at no profit and no interest. Homeowners are required to work 350 hours on their home to build sweat equity. MHDC has also purchased mortgages from three other Habitat for Humanity affiliates around the state.

THE SKY'S THE LIMIT. The Community Foundation of the Ozarks held a 25th anniversary celebration Oct. 1 and took the occasion to announce new programs. The foundation lifted its monetary cap on charitable grant requests, welcoming the "chance to review grants that support innovative solutions and encourage community collaborations regardless of whether the grant amount is $250, $2,500, or even $25,000," said Jan Horton, president and CEO of the foundation. New grant categories of health, arts and culture, education, diversity, human services and community betterment were announced. In addition, a new grantmaking program was unveiled. The Fund for the Future will accept contributions of all sizes. "The unique idea behind the fund is that it makes everyone an effective philanthropist; you don't have to be a Carnegie or a Rockefeller to make a difference," Horton said. Earnings from the Fund for the Future will be given to local charities.

SLICE OF NICE. The American Heart Walk will be held Oct. 24. The walk, a benefit for the American Heart Association, will begin at 9 a.m. at Bearfest Village on the Southwest Missouri State University campus. The American Heart Association helps fight cardiovascular disease, the No. 1 killer in America. Walkers from company teams and other community groups, along with individual walkers, will collect pledges prior to the walk. Walkers raising $100 or more will receive an American Heart Walk T-shirt and will be eligible for other prizes. For more information, please call Randy Wilkerson at 881-1121.

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