Southwest Missouri News

Duenweg

Duenweg doubles land base

The little town of Duenweg began the New Year by more than doubling its land base and adding 66 more residents.

An annexation plan that Duenweg voters approved in August took effect at midnight Jan. 1. Voters approved the an-nexation measure with a 162-30 vote. A two-thirds majority was needed for passage.

The annexation boosts the town's size from about 500 acres to about 1,400 acres. The population of the town rose from 1,034 to 1,100.

City officials sought the annexation to accommodate expected growth. More people and businesses are expected to arrive in Duenweg when an extension of Missouri 249 is completed in 2004 or 2005. In addition, the town's new borders place it near a newly developed in-dustrial park in Joplin.

Census figures show Duenweg has seen population growth of approximately 30 percent since 1990.

Joplin

VoiceStream to begin service

VoiceStream Communications, based in Bellevue, Wash., has erected a cell phone tower in Joplin and should start service by the end of January.

VoiceStream, which had 3.9 million customers and $1.9 billion in revenue in 2000, hopes to attract customers with a technology platform called Global Sys-tem for Mobile Communication, or GSM.

With GSM, customers can use their network cellular telephone number to make and receive calls and get information worldwide. GSM is used by nearly 160 countries.

E.A. Martin Co. sells division

E. A. Martin Machinery Co., a wholly owned division of E.A. Martin Company, has agreed in principle to sell its Missouri Caterpillar dealer operations to John Fabick Tractor Company of Fenton.

The Missouri territory includes 24 counties with branch locations in Spring-field, Joplin and West Plains, according to a company press release.

Simultaneously, E.A. Martin Machin-ery Co. has agreed in principle to sell its Northwest Arkansas Caterpillar dealer operations to J. A. Riggs Tractor Com-pany of Little Rock, Ark. The Arkansas territory includes nine counties with branch locations in Springdale and Har-rison.

E. A. Martin Machinery Co. has served Southwest Missouri and Northwest Ar-kansas since 1915.

The company stated that after the transaction, expected to close March 1, E. A. Martin Company will continue to pursue its other business interests.

Monett

JHA acquires Transcend Systems

Jack Henry & Associates recently completed the purchase of Transcend Systems Group Inc., a provider of customer relationship management software to community financial institutions.

The transaction was a combination of cash and common stock.

According to officials at Jack Henry, Transcend Systems will continue to op-erate from its Sioux Falls, S.D., offices as a subsidiary of Jack Henry.

"One of the fastest growing technology applications in today's market, CRM solutions provide data and tools for cross-selling, customer tracking, sales management, incentive compensation, profitability analysis and customer satisfaction improvement processes," Terry W. Thompson, president of Jack Henry & Associates, said in a prepared statement.

"We believe CRM products will begin to contribute significantly to our revenues and profits next year (fiscal year 2003), and expect they have the potential to contribute $100 million or more to revenues in the next five to six years."

Neosho

Exchange Club to fund flag

A Neosho civic group is raising money to honor the public servants of Neosho, Newton County and the state of Mis-souri.

The Neosho Exchange Club is seeking donations from area businesses and individuals to install a flag and flagpole on the northeast corner of Missouri highways 59 and 60 in Neosho.

The flagpole will be 120 to 140 feet high and will support a 30-by-50-foot flag in winds up to 144 miles an hour. Under the club's proposal, the base of the flagpole will be buried 12 feet into the ground with a concrete foundation. The flagpole will contain an inner halyard, or rope, which will prevent unauthorized access to the flag.

Club members will care for the grounds immediately surrounding the base of the flagpole.