Overheard

Empire Bank is the first area bank to introduce a new “tap-and-go” payment option for its debit cardholders. Empire’s holding company, Jefferson City-based Central Bancompany, is offering the MasterCard PayPass payment technology at 12 of its Missouri banks. The technology allows customers to tap their debit cards on a specially equipped merchant terminal for a quick payment. Signatures are not required for purchases less than $25. PayPass is accepted at more than 55,000 merchant locations globally, including participating locations of 7-Eleven, CVS, McDonald’s and Regal Entertainment Group theaters, as of the second quarter. Empire Bank has 14 locations in southwest Missouri.

Fair Job

Pat Lloyd, general manager of the Missouri Entertainment & Event Center and director of the Ozark Empire Fair, plans to retire after next year’s fair, his fifth in Springfield. The 62-year-old will retire Aug. 31 to spend time with family and seek volunteer opportunities. He will remain in Greene County. Fair attendance set a record in Lloyd’s first year, 2004, and the 2007 fair saw an increase of 10,000 visitors compared to 2006. Lloyd previously held positions as executive director of the Nebraska State Fair, executive director of facilities for the University of Montana and executive director of the Tulsa State Fair. A search for Lloyd’s replacement is under way.

One of Six AAAs

Missouri will retain its AAA bond rating, the highest level available, according to a report issued last week by credit-rating agency Standard & Poor’s. Missouri is one of six states to obtain the AAA rating. Delaware, Georgia, Maryland, Utah and Virginia also received the highest mark.

The AAA rating means investors judge bonds issued by the state to be of the highest quality, and the bonds carry the smallest degree of investment risk. The report said Missouri’s greatest economic strength is its diversity, in part because it’s near the nation’s geographic center, which produces trade and manufacturing advantages.

Enterprising Republic

The city of Republic has been approved as an Enhanced Enterprise Zone, making it eligible for state assistance to attract and retain jobs, according to a Missouri Department of Economic Development news release. Businesses within a zone could be eligible for state tax credits. Enhanced enterprise zones are areas designated by local governments and certified by the DED based on demographics, potential to create sustainable jobs in a targeted industry and demonstrated impact on local cluster development. The state sets aside $7 million worth of tax credits annually for the program.