Southwest Missouri News

Branson

Fitness center offers instruction

The Branson Fitness Center opened Nov. 6 at 175 Industrial Park Drive in Hollister. Rick Huffman is the owner and Jeanie Staples is the manger of the 10,000-square-foot facility offering gymnastics, cheerleading, aerobics and weight training. According to Staples, the fitness center employs professional certified instructors: five in gymnastics, three in aerobics and two as personal trainers. Memberships are available in the following categories: individual, family, student, senior and corporate.

Chamber plans December events

The Business Before Hours meeting of the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce will be held at 7:30 a.m., Dec. 12 at the Chateau on the Lake near Branson. The chamber of commerce's Noon Networking meeting will be held at 11:30 a.m., Dec. 14 at the Radisson Hotel in Branson and is sponsored by Farris & Associates of Branson.

Chamber Web site moves

The Web site for the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce has been changed from www.Bransonchamber.com to www.Explorebranson.com. The site recently won the 2000 Bronze Quill Award of Excellence presented by the Arkansas Chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC). The site also won in the category of "Electronic and Media: Internet Web sites Marketing Tools." Aristotle and the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce designed the site.

Carthage

Leggett & Platt sustains growth

The board of directors of Leggett & Platt Nov. 9 announced a fourth-quarter dividend of 11 cents per share. The dividend will be paid on Jan. 2, 2001 to shareholders of record as of Nov. 24.

Quarterly dividends declared in 2000 total 42 cents per share, up 17 percent from 1999.

According to a news release issued by the company, consistent cash flow, a conservative capital policy and the success of management's long-term growth have allowed Leggett to sustain a 29-year record of annual dividend increases. Over the last 29 years, the quarterly dividend has grown at a 15. 5 percent compound annual rate.

Leggett & Platt is a manufacturer of engineered products serving several major markets. Sales and production are focused on residential and commercial furnishings, aluminum products, industrial materials and specialized products. The company's corporate headquarters is in Carthage.

Joplin

Cell phones given to post office

U.S. Cellular and Ericsson Inc., as part of its Community Action Life Line program, has donated 20 wireless phones and monthly services to Joplin's U.S. Postal Service.

The program is aimed at enabling letter carriers to report dangerous or suspicious situations they see while on duty.

Mitsubishi autos now in area

Continental Auto Mall is now an authorized dealer for Mitsubishi Motors of America, offering full sales and service.

Mitsubishi makes such vehicles as the Montero and Eclipse.

Joplin Auto Park was the authorized Mitsubishi dealer for the area until it went out of business several years ago, at which point Springfield became the closest dealership site.

Continental Auto Mall also is a dealer of Hyundai, Volkswagen, Toyota, Porsche, Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth and Jeep automobiles.

Neosho

La-Z-Boy to operate conservatively'

Home furniture maker La-Z-Boy Inc. announced Nov. 8 that its fiscal second-quarter earnings rose 11 percent.

In a press release, La-Z-Boy, which operates a plant in Neosho, said it earned $25.9 million, or 43 cents a share, in the quarter ended Oct. 28, compared with $23.3 million, or 44 cents per share, posted a year ago.

Fiscal second-quarter net sales rose 47 percent to $571 million, compared with $387 million a year ago.

"This slowdown in consumer spending may be attributable to significantly higher energy prices, increased interest rates, the stock market's recent gyrations or some other combination of factors which has unsettled consumer buying plans," said Patrick Norton, the company's chairman. "We expect the current environment to persist perhaps through the winter months, and we are running our company more conservatively as a result."

The company said it expects earnings for the fiscal year beginning April 2001 to be near the fiscal year 2000 figure of $1.60.