Southwest Missouri News

Branson

Health Department numbers out

The city of Branson Health Department has released figures on the official number of theaters, lodging facilities and restaurants in Branson for the year 2000. The number of theaters at the end of the year was 47, an increase of two from 1999, and theater seats were counted at 57,237, up 57 from the year before.

Last year, the number of lodging facilities was 205 with 17,782 rooms compared to 202 lodging facilities with 17,550 rooms in 1999.

At the end of 2000, there were 22 new restaurants in the city limits for a total of 361. The number of restaurant seats rose from 32,052 in 1999 to 32,299 last year.

Commission OKs proposal request

The Branson Convention Center Commission approved on Feb. 1 a request for proposal that will be advertised for consultants and firms interested in conducting a convention center feasibility study.

The scope of services in the 11-page RFP has been divided into six categories. They include market analysis, feasibility analysis, hotel feasibility study, community impact analysis, financial analysis and site evaluation.

The deadline for firms to submit proposals is March 9.

Firms interested in obtaining an RFP packet should contact Branson City Hall at 337-8548.

KWBM-TV offers Warner Bros. shows

KWBM-TV, also called WB31, is a new full power, digital-ready television station in Branson.

A 1,098-foot-high tower, located in Taney County, will transmit a 5-million-watt signal.

The station will provide viewers with Warner Brothers syndicated and first-run programming.

WB31 will be carried on cable Channel 11 in Springfield and Channel 12 in Branson.

The station's president and general manager is Jimmy Goodman. Debbie James has been named general sales manager and will be based in a sales office in Springfield.

WB31 is owned by RS Communications LP, whose chairman and CEO is Roy Speer, co-founder of Home Shopping Network.

Chamber unveils marketing plan

The Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce will present its 2001 Community Marketing Plan at 10 a.m. Feb. 20 at the Jim Stafford Theatre in Branson. The presentation will also include the organization's new television commercial campaign, latest research figures and its award-winning Web site.

At its annual black tie dinner, held Feb 2 at the Chateau on the Lake near Branson, the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce presented its community services awards.

The Mary Award was presented to Myrene Kirstein for starting the first grocery store in Branson, the Piggly Wiggly, and for providing employment and food during hardship to many area families.

The Pioneer Award was presented to the late John "The Diver" Hoynacki, for on-the-road promotion of Table Rock Lake and tourism to neighboring communities.

The Ambassador Award went to Ed Michel of Ozark Mountain Sightseeing for developing the area's group tour business and instituting the travel industry event, "Destined for Branson."

Skaggs Community Health Center received the Beautification Award for its dedication to the environment and beautification during the recent construction to its new hospital addition.

The Community Spirit Award, created and sponsored by Myers Hotels, was presented to Lilly's Landing for its outstanding efforts in the promotion of and participation in the Branson area community.

The second annual BoxCar Willie Award, created to recognize ambition, persistence, patriotism and generosity, was presented to Ride the Ducks owner Bob McDowell.

Former Missouri Gov. Roger Wilson and current Missouri Speaker of the House Jim Kreider also were recognized by the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce for their promotion of tourism and enhancing economic development activities in southwest Missouri.

Joplin

ShopKo closure axes 85 local jobs

The ShopKo store at Joplin's Northpark Mall will soon close its doors, leaving 85 people mostly part-time employees without jobs.

The company announced its strategic reorganization Jan. 31.

The Joplin store is expected to close by the end of April.

According to a news release issued by the company, 23 stores in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri and Nebraska are being closed. ShopKo also plans to close its distribution center at Quincy, Ill.

The closings will reduce the company's work force by 2,500 employees.

ShopKo opened at Northpark Mall in April 1999 in the space formerly occupied by Venture.

In the statement, William J. Podany, ShopKo president, said the action is "the culmination of the review launched in November to re-engineer our capital structure and review the asset base."

ShopKo is a Fortune 500 company with headquarters in Green Bay, Wis. The company operates 394 retail stores in 22 states, primarily in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain and Pacific Northwest regions.

King Press adds new press line

King Press announced Jan. 26 that it had reached an agreement with a large Indianapolis, Ind.,-based commercial printer for the installation of a new press line that includes equipment from its recently introduced Print King IV product line.

The new press line features four sets of stackable printing units manufactured at the company's Joplin plant.

City still among most affordable

Joplin continues to be one of the most affordable cities in the United States. Joplin was included in the top 10 in the latest cost-of-living ranking of America's urban centers.

According to the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association, the cost of living in Joplin was sixth lowest in the nation and was 89.1 percent of the national average during the third quarter of 2000.

Joplin had taken the first or second place spot for a number of years, but this year lost to cities in Arkansas, Texas and elsewhere.

Joplin ranked sixth out of the hundreds of metropolitan areas that participated in the survey, right behind Texarkana, on the Texas-Arkansas border. Texarkana came in at 88.1 percent.

For July through September of 2000, Fort Smith, Ark., was the cheapest place to live in America, with a cost of living that was 86.4 percent of the national average.

The association's survey is done quarterly and is based on the price of goods and services in more than 60 areas. They include everything from the price for 10 pounds of potatoes (red or white) and a gallon of gasoline to the costs of electricity, housing and medical care.

LaBarge reports improved earnings

LaBarge Inc. reported a second-quarter improvement.

Earnings for the second quarter, which ended Dec. 31, came to $726,000 compared with $678,000 for the same period one year earlier.

"LaBarge's second-quarter sales, earnings per share and backlog surpassed first quarter levels," Craig LaBarge, chief executive officer and president, said in a prepared statement. "The excellent performance of our manufacturing services business, which represented 99 percent of revenues for the second quarter of 2001, is the primary driver of our ongoing improvement."

Joplin's LaBarge plant, which employs more than 200 people, is part of the manufacturing services division.

Earnings for the first half of the com-pany's fiscal year came to $1.36 million, compared with a loss of $662,000 during the first half of fiscal 2000.

Earnings for the latest quarter came in at 5 cents per share, the same figure reported for the second quarter a year ago.

Earnings for the pasts six months came to 9 cents per share. Last fiscal year the company lost 5 cents per share during its first six months.

Net sales for the latest quarter were $26.9 million, compared with $17.5 one year ago. Net sales for the six-month period came in at $51.2 million, compared with $31.7 million for the same period last year.