Overheard

The city of Springfield will hold a public reception May 29 for retiring City Manager Bob Cumley. The reception is scheduled 4–6 p.m. in the Busch Building lobby; a short program begins at 4:15 p.m. Cumley will retire May 31 after 35 years with the city. He started as personnel director in 1972 and later served as assistant city manager and deputy city manager before taking the top position in April 2006. Among other accolades, the Missouri City Manager’s Association honored Cumley earlier this month at its annual meeting in Branson with the Jay T. Bell Award, the organization’s highest distinction.

Deputy City Manager Evelyn Honea will be Cumley’s temporary replacement until a new city manager is found. Arcus Public has been hired to conduct the search that began earlier this month, and the firm expects it will take 45 days to compile an initial list of candidates.

Statewide Job Picture

Missouri’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate in April fell to its lowest figure since August but remained a hair above the national average. The Missouri Department of Economic Development reported a 5.2 percent unemployment rate last month, down from 5.7 percent in March. The U.S. rate in April was 5 percent. Manufacturing saw a 1,700-job increase, retail trade grew by 3,000 jobs, and government employment was up by 1,000 jobs, mostly at the local levels. Leisure and hospitality employment was down 2,500 jobs in April.

Guaranty In Ozark

Springfield-based Guaranty Bank has opened its first Ozark location at 1701 W. Highway J. It is the bank’s ninth full-service branch. Construction also is about a month under way on Guaranty’s third Nixa branch, at Highway CC and Main Street, which should open in the fall. The bank has six branches in Springfield. Shares (Nasdaq: GFED) closed May 21 at $23.85, compared to a 52-week range of $22.35 to $30.85.

SBU’s Risky Business

Southwest Baptist University’s Students In Free Enterprise last month held its second annual Risky Business project at Pleasant Hope Middle School. The project teaches students about supply and demand, advertising, pricing and business ethics, and it allows them to create and sell products of their choice. This year’s Risky Business, sponsored by Pleasant Hope Chamber of Commerce, involved an eighth-grade math class. Students made key chains, bandana bracelets, and pencils and pens with candy attached, and two of the five teams turned a profit. “Some groups (found) a need and met it, and some did not,” said Rachel Greene, an SBU SIFE member. “That happens every day in the business world.”

Slice of Nice

Peoples Bank of the Ozarks is giving away 50 gallons of gas each week through Labor Day weekend during its Fill Your Tank at Peoples Bank promotion. Registration is required at branches in Clever, Fordland, Forsyth, Fremont Hills, Kimberling City, Nixa, Ozark, Rogersville and Springfield. For more details, call (888) 739-8560.[[In-content Ad]]