Southwest Missouri News

Campaign for YMCA set to kick off

After a year of meetings with Branson-area businesspeople to determine if the community could support a local YMCA, Jim Weaton, an executive of the Springfield Family Y, said the group will begin planning for a founders' campaign about Nov. 1.

During planning, Weaton said, key staff members from the Springfield Family Y and the national YMCA organization have met with a number of Branson community leaders and residents to determine local interest and support.

He said interest in a local YMCA leaned toward becoming a branch of the Springfield Family Y rather than incorporating as an independent facility. Rick Tallon, who is now a member of the Springfield Family Y's board of directors, will chair the fund-raising activities, Weaton said.

Weaton said the local YMCA effort will need to raise $200,000 to staff a non-facility, storefront location. The locally funded staff would then establish a three-year program to pursue additional funding and seek collaboration with other local entities such as the schools, hospital and businesses that might be interested in supporting a facility, he said.

Kansas City firm named as media buyer

The Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau have hired NKH&W of Kansas City as their media buying firm of record. The agency will design a media plan and be responsible for purchasing broadcast and cable time for the chamber's advertising campaigns. The agency was selected from 16 firms during a three-month search. According to the chamber, NKH&W will begin drafting a media plan to be used during the first quarter of the year 2000. This period is historically the chamber's major buy of the year with time purchased in more than 20 spot markets and on national cable stations TNN and WGN.

City campground sees revenues rise

According to city of Branson officials, city campground revenues for fiscal year 1999 topped fiscal year 1998 revenues by 10 percent. Campground revenue totaled $594,255 for the months from October 1998 to September 1999, compared to $539,805 for the same months during the previous year.

The city of Branson also reported that the three busiest months for consumer spending in the community, based on sales-tax revenues, are July, October and November.

$5 million in building permits for month

Building permits for the city of Joplin totaled $5.023 million for the month of September. More than $1 million came from construction of single-family homes and more than $3 million from new business construction. The remainder stemmed from renovations, repairs and annual fees required by the city.

Local business appears in magazine

Joplin Venetian Blind, 1525 Main St., has received notification from the nationally published Qualified Remodeler magazine that it has been ranked among the top 500 remodeling companies nationwide. The Joplin company, which opened in 1939, is owned by Earl Whitehead and Geof Fox. It provides products such as replacement windows, vinyl siding and sun rooms.

Herschend speaks to chamber banquet

Peter Herschend, co-owner and co-founder of Silver Dollar City theme park, was guest speaker Oct. 5 at the Webb City Chamber of Commerce annual banquet.

Herschend credited God and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for the success of his family's theme park God for Marvel Cave and the corps for Table Rock Lake. His parents entertained 5,000 visitors in 1950, the first year they owned Marvel Cave. In 1955, Herschend said, "my father said the people would like to come down and see someone making soap, a blacksmith, men splitting rails and making pottery." That suggestion became Silver Dollar City in 1960. Last year, 2.1 million people visited the theme park.

Herschend told the audience that his company's four-word mission statement is "Create Memories Worth Repeating." That advice will work for Webb City, he said, "if you find a niche that you, and you alone, have. Make this community more distinctive than your competition."

Brian Christmas, owner of The Dugout Sport Shop, took over as Chamber president. Karen Shaffer, owner of Granny Shaffer's Restaurant, was named Business Leader of the Year.

Eileen Nichols was also honored, She received the Webb City Champion Booster Award for volunteer work including the Webb City Historical Society, Central United Methodist Church, and Lafayette House. Jack Dawson received the Sam Walton Community Leader Award from Wal-Mart. He is an officer of Dawson Furniture Co. and he created the Praying Hands and Kneeling Miner statues in King Jack Park.