Southwest Missouri News

Branson

Chateau named best hotel

For the third time in four years, readers of the Springfield News-Leader voted the Chateau on the Lake Resort Hotel and Convention Center the best hotel in Branson, according to a press release from the Chateau.

"This recognition is a testament to the hotel's commitment to exemplary customer service. The staff at the Chateau works diligently to provide superior customer service, and it's nice to see that their efforts have not gone unnoticed," said Stephen Marshall, general manager of the Chateau on the Lake Resort Hotel.

The Chateau on the Lake Resort Hotel and Convention Center has 301 rooms and 40,000 square-feet of meeting space. The hotel is owned and managed by John Q. Hammons Hotels Inc.

Joplin

LaBarge reports sales increase

LaBarge Inc., which operates a plant in Joplin, reported an increase in sales, earnings and earnings per share for the first quarter of its 2002 fiscal year.

Sales for the three-month period ending Sept. 30 climbed to $32.1 million, up 32 percent when compared with sales of $24.3 million for the same quarter a year earlier.

Earnings came to just over $1 million, or 7 cents per share, compared with earnings of $634,000, or 4 cents per share, a year ago. The total earnings reflect a jump of 63 percent.

"We realized excellent sales growth from both our Manufacturing Services Group and Network Technologies Group during the first quarter," Craig LaBarge, chief executive officer and president, said in a prepared statement. "Growth in our manufacturing services business, which represented 97 percent of total first-quarter revenues, came from higher sales to both defense and commercial customers."

The Joplin LaBarge plant, which employs about 200 people, is part of the manufacturing services division.

Foundation approves grants

The quarterly board meeting of the Mercy Regional Health Foundation at St. John's Regional Medical Center approved grants totaling $30,500.

A $9,500 grant will equip 40 emergency vehicles with global positioning features and 20 with portable landing markers. The equipment will permit emergency personnel to direct St. John's MedFlight helicopter to the scene of an accident.

The city of Anderson and the Anderson Lions Club received a $6,000 grant to help build a heliport in the Anderson Industrial Park. The club is contributing $2,000.

St. John's patient care administration received a $15,000 grant to provide a three-year lease for a television channel to improve pain management.

Bed and breakfast aids volunteers

Prosperity School Bed and Breakfast of Joplin and Grand Avenue Inn in Carthage have joined other members of Bed Inns of Missouri to offer a free night of lodging to the members of Missouri Task Force One, a search-and-rescue team that participated in the rescue efforts after the Sept. 11 attack.

Lamar

O'Sullivan reports drop in sales

O'Sullivan Industries Holdings Inc. reported a drop in first-quarter sales.

Net sales for the quarter, which ended Sept. 30, came to $86.3 million, down nearly 5 percent from sales of $90.5 million in the same quarter one year ago.

The company also reported a net loss of $1.4 million, compared with a net loss of $2.4 million in last year's first quarter.

Neosho

New-Mac to distribute refunds

New-Mac Electric Cooperative Inc. will begin distributing $1.2 million in capital credit refunds to its customers, officials announced during the co-op's annual meeting.

The amount of the refund will be based on the company's profit and the customer's electric use at the time. Refund checks began going out immediately to customers who were on the New-Mac lines during part of 1984 and 1985.

In addition, current customers will receive a one-time rate refund at the end of the year. This year's refund will total $200,000 and will be shown as a credit on December bills. Because the credit depends on usage, it is difficult to determine an typical customer average.

The year-end refund, called a power cost adjustment, stems from savings in what the cooperative paid to purchase wholesale power over the previous year.

New-Mac is a customer-owned, not-for-profit utility.