Southwest Missouri News

Branson

Sales tax revenue up almost 7 percent

The city of Branson reports that its local economy is doing well.

Sales tax revenue for the first quarter of the city's fiscal year, October through December, was up almost 7 percent over the same quarter last year, and the tourism tax increased 9 percent from October through January.

New construction for January and February of 2000 totaled almost $15 million compared to $8.6 million for the first two months of 1999.

Twenty-eight new commercial construction permits, with an estimated value of $8.76 million, were issued by the city in February. Included in those permits were Branson Bank, Branson First Stop, Cobblestone Conference Center, Surrey Grand Crowne and Legacy Condominiums.

Branson Meadows opens multiplex

Branson Meadows Cinemas held a ribbon-cutting ceremony March 23 for its new 11-screen multiplex at the Factory Shoppes at Branson Meadows on Gretna Road.

The 30,000-square-foot, renovated storefront complex, owned and operated by ShoPro Inc., Yorkville, Ill., opened to the public Feb. 18.

Steve Felperin, director of marketing for ShoPro, said the company likes to build in medium and smaller markets, calling the Branson complex "our biggest undertaking to date."

The theater complex features 1,500 seats with about 140 seats in each theater, a private party room and a video arcade. It also features the first Stealth (patent pending) design in Missouri, according to Buck Kolkmeyer, president of ShoPro.

The concept incorporates stadium-style seating and curved screens positioned at 45-degree angles in the auditorium corners instead of traditional flat, front-wall screens.

Kolkmeyer said each theater's shape enhances the digital and surround-sound systems. The complex features five SDDS digital sound systems and six stereo surround units.

Theaters announce plans for 2000

Many of Branson's theaters have announced additions or new venues for the 2000 season. Some of this year's changes include:

Andy Williams Moon River Theatre will host "Broadway on Ice," April 13-Aug. 19. The show will include figure skating champions Tai Babilonia and Randy Gardner, Tara Lipinski, Nancy Kerrigan, Rudy Galindo, Rosalyn Sumners and Meno & Sand. Andy Williams will perform with Glen Campbell at the theater Sept. 8-Oct. 28. Then, Nov. 1-Dec. 9, Williams will perform his Christmas show.

The Beach Boys will entertain in a special engagement May 30-June 3 at the Mel Tillis Theatre.

The Osmond Family Theater will host Tony Orlando for limited engagements throughout the season. The theater will also feature "Flashback," an ice-skating revue of music from the '50s to present day, June 30-Aug. 31. Comedian Philip Wellford will also have his morning show there.

Spirit of the Dance will be at the Bobby Vinton Blue Velvet Theatre, performing Irish dance and music May through December.

Kirby Van Burch has moved to a new location on Highway 248 at the Will Rogers Theater, which will now bear his name.

Appearing at the Ain't Misbehavin' Dinner Theatre will be the "Red, Hot & Blue!" show. The theater will also host performances of "Nunsense" Sept. 23-Dec. 13.

Gary Ouellet's Magic of the Night will run through Dec. 16 at the Remington Theatre. It stars the Hamners, the popular husband-and-wife magicians known for their NBC television appearances and their one-of-a-kind exotic bird magic act.

Robert Joe Vandygriff, an actor, singer and songwriter, will portray the character Joe Texas in a new one-man, one-act comedy, "The Cowboy Ain't Dead Yet," at the Moe Bandy Theatre. The morning show begins March 24.

Silver Dollar City opens April 5 with its World Fest, which runs through May 7 and includes 400 performers from around the world presenting music, dances, costumes and culture of their native lands. New this year are puppet artists from Vietnam with the unique Water Puppet Theater, dancers and drummers from Uganda, a folk dance troupe from India, and musicians and dancers from Spain.

Carthage

Clouds Meat receives state honors

Clouds Meat Processing received several awards at the annual Missouri Association of Meat Processors Convention held in Columbia in March.

Among the awards Clouds Meat Processing received: grand champion for meat snack sticks; reserve grand champion for summer sausage and beef specialty products; and champion and reserve grand champion on many other products.

Justin Industries declares dividend

The board of directors of Justin Industries Inc. has declared a cash dividend of 6 cents per share on its common stock, payable April 5 to shareholders of record March 27.

That is an increase of 20 percent from the previous quarterly dividend. Justin has boot plants in Carthage and Cassville, and a brick plant in Weir, Kan.

Joplin

St. John's event raises $150,000

St. John's Regional Medical Center's "Blast From The Past," once again proved to be the hospital's biggest fund-raiser.

The annual event, which has been held for 16 years, benefits the Mercy Regional Health Foundation. It started as a one-night event, and then became a four-night event as the demand grew.

More than $150,000 was raised at this year's event.

The Mercy Health Foundation has joined with area communities to provide equipment for area fire stations and ambulances.

LaBarge Inc. wins $2.1 million contract

LaBarge Inc. has been awarded a $2.1 million contract by Boeing for work to be done in Joplin.

The Joplin plant, which is part of LaBarge's Manufacturing Services Group, employs 250 people.

The company does not anticipate any additional staff will be needed for this project.

The contract calls for LaBarge to build the electrical power center, or EPC, for use in Boeing's MD-10 freighter conversion program.

The EPC is the power control center for each airplane, monitoring electrical circuits and reporting malfunctions to the cockpit.

Boeing's MD-10 freighter conversion program re-engineers Douglas Aircraft Co. and Boeing DC-10 passenger planes into transport planes for the express shipping industry, including such companies as FedEx Corp.

The EPC units are part of the upgraded systems being introduced into the reconfigured planes, and they are designed to improve reliability and lower maintenance costs.

The contract was awarded by Boeing's Commercial Airplane Group in Long Beach, Calif. Production is to begin this summer and continue through June 2001.

In November of 1999, LaBarge announced a $3.9 million contract with United Space Alliance, the prime contractor for space shuttle operations.

Cable assemblies made by LaBarge will be used on the shuttle's solid rocket boosters. Delivery began earlier this year and will continue for the next two years.

Joplin is the only place the cable assemblies are made.

Gunlock Heating & Air earns award

Ron, Kendall and Kelly Gunlock, of Gunlock Heating & Air, were named members of York's 1999 League of Superior Achievement at an annual dealer meeting.

To earn the award, the Gunlocks and their staff demonstrated superior sales and service with York heating and air conditioning products, as well as providing excellent relations and quality workmanship.

The League began 14 years ago and Gunlock Heating & Air has been awarded membership in it each year since it began.

Gunlock also received York's 1999 Outstanding Commercial Performance Award.

Neosho

Sunbeam's net sales rise by 33 percent

Sunbeam Corp. reported a 33 percent increase in net sales during the most recent fiscal year, and company officials said they cut losses "sharply" in both the fourth quarter and during all of 1999.

For the most recent fiscal year, which ended Dec. 31, the company reported that not sales rose to $2.4 billion, an increase of 33 percent when compared with sales of $1.8 billion in 1998.

The company also reported an operating loss for the year of $300 million,$2.97 per diluted share.

That compares with a net loss of $898 million, or $9.25 per diluted share, one year ago.

The operating losses stem from previous business practices and acquisitions, the company said in a press release.

For the fourth quarter 1999, the company reported sales of $612 million, up 19 percent compared with sales of $515 million for fiscal 1998.

Sunbeam reported a loss for the quarter of $144 million, which came to $1.43 per diluted share. That compares with a loss of $311 million, or $3.09 per diluted share, for the fourth quarter of the previous year.

"1999 was a very important year for Sunbeam," said Jerry Levin, Sunbeam's chairman and chief executive officer. "During the year, we succeeded in achieving our objectives of stabilizing Sunbeam's businesses and positioning the company for growth."

Following a two-year period when Al Dunlap was Sunbeam's chief executive officer, the company faced a financial crisis and even a possible bankruptcy stemming from a series of controversial accounting practices and billions in debt resulting from acquisitions made during Dunlap's tenure.

Shareholders filed a class-action lawsuit claiming the company filed false or misleading financial statements, and Sunbeam was forced to restate 18 months' worth of sales and income results after investigations.

The Securities and Exchange Commission also opened an investigation into Sunbeam's practices to determine whether the company violated any laws by filing inaccurate reports or failing to maintain accurate books.

Sunbeam Outdoor products owns a barbecue grill factory that is one of the largest employers in Neosho, with a peak employment of more than 1,000.

In 1999, Sunbeam announced a $20 million expansion in Neosho for grill distribution, adding 876,500 square feet of space at the plant.

It was the largest project undertaken by Sunbeam since 1994, and it doubled the size of the Neosho plant.

Bond supports funds for Crowder

U.S. Sen. Christopher Bond joined members of the trucking industry and law enforcement personnel at a meeting March 17 at Crowder Community College, held to show support of a measure which could improve highway safety.

Bond spoke of his efforts to secure $500,000 in federal funding for Crowder College's Decision Driving Center, to be located on the Neosho campus.

Once built, the center will be used to train over-the-road truck drivers, emergency vehicle operators, school bus drivers and other transportation workers. Commonly known as a "skid pad," the center will provide hands-on experience in accident avoidance, doing so in a controlled environment.