Business development : article
ELDON, Mo. – “Grow Your Farm” sessions for beginning farmers start Saturday, March 10, at the Eldon Career Center. University of Missouri Extension agricultural business specialist Patricia Barrett says the practical seminars and field days give attendees opportunities to learn and network.
Ten second-stage Missouri small businesses are learning from experts and each other how to move to the next level.
These suggestions are provided to assist you, but in sharing them, we recognize that each business and situation is unique. We encourage you to consider each principle and apply as you believe best fits your business situation and your relationship with your employees. 1. Communicate even more…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The seventh annual Build-a-Business camp, July 13-17, offers ideas to young people from some of the area’s newest entrepreneurs. The University of Missouri Extension 4-H Center for Youth Development sponsors the camp.
After leaving successful careers with the Illinois Department of Transportation in 1994, Abe and Nicole Adewale found themselves in St. Louis. With their shared values of trust, family, diversity, passion, and leadership, they decided to start their own construction and engineering firm.
FULTON, Mo. – Cody Waters of Fulton is armed to farm. He is one of 300,000 veterans expected to return to Missouri in the next decade, according to University of Missouri Extension state health and safety specialist Karen Funkenbusch.
Aspen Spas, which has built custom hot tubs and specialized spas for a quarter century, entered the Trade Ad
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Food, health, energy and the environment are among the most vital concerns when it comes to human survival and quality of life.
This year’s Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC) conference, Sept. 20-21 in Benton County, will provide several days of learning about rural innovations for leaders with an eye on business growth.
A chance encounter in 2009 with a Missouri Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC) presentation inspired Lois Rodriguez to start her own business. In 2006, her family planted a tree farm, their main market being street tree development in Kansas City.
“Our first quarter sales this year almost exceeded our total sales of last year because of a paradigm shift in how we do business,” said Paul Janicek, owner of DocuLock in St. Joseph, Missouri. Janicek attributes that shift to the open-heart surgery he went through in 2020.
The Branson Airport started working with the Missouri SBDC at Missouri State University in 2020 to learn more about various programs to help them navigate the pandemic impacts on travel. Check out this latest video and hear how working with the SBDC helped them.
As a physician assistant in a hospital emergency room, Elochukwu “Elo” Osoego noted that most of the patients seen there — 80% to 85%, he said — did not need to be in the ER. Often, they needed services not available at urgent care and didn’t have time to wait until they could get an appointment…
Missouri manufacturers, chambers of commerce and business and economic development organizations will team up with University of Missouri System researchers over the next 18 months in a series of roundtable events across the state aimed at strengthening Missouri’s manufacturing sector.
COLUMBIA, Mo. —Teacher Teri Walden and physician Becky Llorens met a couple of years ago and bonded over a common concern. Each has an autistic young adult son seeking work.
MISSOURI – On Jan. 27, 2021, the University of Missouri Extension Business Development Program (BDP) recognized members for their performance and accomplishments during the organization’s first virtual professional development conference. The annual celebration awards individuals and teams for…
Developing a business plan is hard work and at times a daunting task for business owners. However, business planning can help move any company or small business forward. "Why write a business plan?" you may ask. There are many reasons why writing a business plan is essential to any owner.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri businesses struggle to recruit and retain employees with the technology know-how that companies need.
Codefi, Center on Rural Innovation are Gold Sponsors for 2024 Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Codefi and the Center on Rural Innovation are joint 2024 Gold Sponsors for University of Missouri Extension’s Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities (CEC), a conference dedicated to fostering innovation and entrepreneurship in rural areas.
After two years of planning, in April 2006, Erica Skouby said goodbye to her corporate job and started her own quilt shop. In June 2006 Nine Patch Quilt & Fabrics opened to the public, carrying cotton fabric, books, patterns, and handmaid gifts.
Joe and Judy Roetheli, recogn
HANNIBAL, Mo. – Last September, more than 70 people gathered in Hannibal for the 2021 Creating Entrepreneurial Communities conference.
Custom Powder Systems (CPS) designs, builds and automates the equipment used to dispense, size, mill and blend the powders used in the pharmaceutical, food and chemical industries.
HANNIBAL, Mo. – In her 20s, Linda Studer had a dream of opening a business in historic Hannibal.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – After dealing with Crohn’s disease for 15 years, Emilia Rizzuto learned about the health benefits of elderberries. When she found out that Missouri grows a lot of elderberries, she developed an elderberry syrup that led to founding her business, All Things Elderberry.
The Missouri Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) recently brought a new international export business planning platform to small businesses across the state.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Women livestock farmers can help build their business through Facebook in a few minutes each day, says Amber Henry of Henry Meat Co. of De Soto. She also serves on the Jefferson County University of Missouri Extension Council.
When a family-run small business loses its leader and, shortly afterward, loses its largest client, it can send the company into a tailspin.
EDINA, Mo.– Like any other business, a farm is more likely to succeed with a written business plan.
“A business plan can serve as a road map for your business,” says Karisha Devlin, a University of Missouri Extension agriculture business specialist in Knox County.
HILLSBORO, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension offers a one-day workshop for those thinking about selling produce and other goods at farmers markets.The Feb. 3 workshop covers food safety, sampling, funding, customer service and opportunities for discussion with other vendors, said MU Extension…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri ranks eighth in federal contracting dollars as a share of total state gross domestic product. Missouri-based firms received $15.1 billion in prime federal contracts and almost $3 billion in subcontract awards in the federal fiscal year 2019. These contracts represented 5.4…
Seize the opportunity to develop real-time human resource (HR) tools in order to get better results and gain a distinct competitive edge.
After serving in the army for 27 years, Wes Hester wasn’t ready to stop serving his community upon retirement. In 2007, Hester decided to start his own IT Technology engineering firm, Foxhole Technology.
Some people are born entrepreneurs. Beth Snyder is among them.
Good News Brewery has grown amidst the pandemic. They find opportunities and reach out to the Missouri SBDC at EDC of St. Charles County. Check out this latest video and hear how working with the SBDC helped them.
BROOKFIELD, Mo. – Her portion of the work is a little piece of a big project, but construction business owner Lois Rodriguez is making the most of it. As president and CEO of Better By Design LLC, Rodriguez is doing her part to make the long-awaited East Locust Creek Reservoir a reality.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension invites anyone interested in learning to farm to attend an eight-session program, Grow Your Farm, offered by MU Extension in Jackson County.
Rhonda Hill, owner of H&H Bridge, had never had an interest in construction. However, when her son, Harley, bought a drilling company right out of high school, her support brought them both right in the middle of opportunities for a new career.
The relationships Wurst has made with the SBDC gave her the confidence to make decisions for her company during unpredictable times. Wurst has continued to expand and elevate her business and the services that Language Solutions provide.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri ranks below the national average in many key measures related to health and access to health care, especially in rural parts of the state.
2020 has shown businesses, employees, teachers, students, and families how important a good internet connection can be. The transition to doing work and school from home, for many, has been difficult. Businesses and schools were not prepared for the curveballs that were thrown this year. St.…
JOPLIN, Mo. – Starting a business can be challenging even during a robust economy, yet opportunities still exist in today’s tough economic climate.
While living in West Plains, Missouri in 2012, Mike Hibler noticed a need for a restaurant where he could enjoy good food and watch a sports game. On his way to work every day, he noticed an abandoned building that looked like a log cabin.
The HY-C Company has faced numerous threats and challenges in its nearly 70-year history. But this one was different.
In early 2019, the oldest chain manufacturer in the United States found itself under new leadership. Jim Riley purchased Laclede Chain Manufacturing Company from his father, ready to lead the family business into a new decade of growth.
The economic shock from the coronavirus is something we have not experienced in recent memory. The sudden stoppage of the economy makes it difficult to remember that until March one of the primary concerns for many business owners was finding a workforce to meet their needs.
Are trees that have been felled by nature or landowners destined to rot — either where they lie or in a landfill? Joshua Clarkweiss says no. Clarkweiss, owner of Full Circle Forest Products, a sustainability-focused sawmill in Rutledge, Missouri, turns those trees into custom construction lumber…
Jeff Fischer, vice president of Mercury Communications & Construction Inc., Fenton, a wireless services provider and general contractor, and recipient of a $150,000 grant to improve training, marketing and advertising through the Mid-America Trade Adjustment Assistance Center (TAAC), a…
FULTON, Mo. – The Missouri AfterSchool Network is the Platinum Sponsor of University of Missouri Extension’s 2024 Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference, Sept. 17-19 in Fulton.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Missouri AfterSchool Network (MASN) announces the selection of seven afterschool programs to receive micro-grants for youth entrepreneurship programs during the 2020-2021 school year.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Food Finder (www.MOFoodFinder.org) is a new online tool that easily connects Missouri consumers with people growing and selling locally produced food in their region.
This spring, five Missouri small businesses began the journey to grow beyond the second stage.
Through the Missouri Small Business Development Center’s (SBDC’s) Elevate program, these five business owners, at no cost to them, are gaining knowledge from various experts that most small-business…
Over the past two years, a group of 22 second-stage Missouri small businesses increased sales by $10.7 million, made capital investments of $8.2 million, and added 74 jobs.
The Missouri Small Business Development Centers received a $125,000 award for specialized training, business counseling and technical assistance for R&D-focused small businesses under the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program.
MISSOURI – The Missouri SBDC (Small Business Development Centers) was awarded $125,000 for specialized training, business counseling, and technical assistance for research and development (R&D)-focused small businesses under the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Many of the world’s finest wines and whiskeys begin in Missouri’s hardwood forests.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Employment patterns over the past decade are prompting many enterprising youths to explore business ownership as an avenue for income.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension recently released its 2017 Farm Labor Guide.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – A recently completed assessment of University of Missouri Extension found that with an annual investment of $86 million (2016), MU Extension generated dividends totaling nearly $950 million.
LAKE OZARK, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension regional economic development specialist Ashley Brown announced the 10 community co-chairs for “#Elevate: An Empowering Experience for Women.”
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has awarded a $179,614 grant to the University of Missouri to support efforts to help veterans, Latinos, women and socially disadvantaged persons to farm or go into agribusiness.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Extension is one of 14 partners to organize the new Heartland Regional Food Business Center serving Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas.
JOPLIN, Mo. – Sherry Noller has been appointed interim education director for University of Missouri Extension’s Business Development Program and interim state director for the Missouri Small Business Development Centers.
BCI is a nonprofit organization that was founded in St. Charles, Missouri, in 1959 to provide employment opportunities for adults with developmental disabilities. Elevate program cohorts do not usually include nonprofits, but BCI fit because they do manufacturing, create jobs, and contribute to the…
Business owners and developers often overlook the importance of geotechnical engineering. That’s why, in 1989, Fred Palmerton and Brad Parrish broke ground on their own engineering firm, Palmerton & Parrish, Inc. in St. Louis, MO.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Over the last year, more than 600 University of Missouri business students have worked in dozens of communities across the state helping small businesses find solutions and opportunities even during these uncertain times.
CHILLICOTHE, Mo. - University of Missouri Extension will present a free play to help farmers talk about succession planning, 7-9 p.m. Friday, June 10, at the Gary Dickinson Performing Arts Center at Chillicothe High School.
In 1970, Russell Smith started his own pest control business, Preferred Pest Control. 50 years and three generations later, Perry and Dawn Cooperider now manage the business and have watched it grow for many years. Along with their small team of experienced exterminators, the Cooperiders keep the…
In 2012, graduate students Stephen and Kathryn Clark took a risk in leaving their jobs to pursue opening their own business, Recon Supply. A veteran himself, Stephen wanted to help current and former military individuals by distributing medical devices like joint and spinal implants.
When a disaster hits a community it can be devastating. For business owners, it can be a doubly difficult.
MARK TWAIN LAKE, Mo. – Smoke billows from the sugar shack where U.S. Marine veteran Jeremy Beaver cooks maple syrup.
It is a crisp Sunday morning. A sweet, smoky smell and the sound of children playing fill the woods.
Many entrepreneurs find that government contracting is an excellent way to ensure that their small business grows. But for Kit Price, co-owner of Robinson’s Cleaners in Columbia, Missouri, government contracting goes beyond expanding her company.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities, a brainchild of community and business development specialists with University of Missouri Extension, is bearing fruit months afterward.
Williams’s colleagues have described her as having a deep dedication to her work and her clients as well as delivering quality and caring, one-on-one counseling and training facilitation that makes a difference.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – High heat puts the public at risk. Since 1980, heat waves in Missouri have killed more people than lightning, tornadoes, thunderstorms and floods combined, says University of Missouri Extension climatologist Pat Guinan.
Coming out of the recession and opening her own company, Jennifer Hart wanted to ensure it would last, so she took every business class she could think of. The Elevate program is the latest of those classes. Programs like Elevate “help small companies push it forward,” Hart said.
When three of Marina Scheiner’s nieces were away at college, Scheiner wanted to send them boxes of goodies to ensure they felt supported, appreciated and encouraged. But even with good intentions,“it was so hard to get it done. That conundrum sparked an idea.
When Anita Archer and Erin Phipps, behavior analysts and owners of Unearth Potential in Joplin, Missouri, learned about the impending closure of the company they worked for, they worried about all the families that would be left without services for their children with differing abilities. With the…
Are you a small business owner that is not currently exporting your goods and services, but is considering it? Are you concerned about how to make the right decision on this important question for your company and how to prepare your business for success in this area? If so, this column is for…
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As a palliative care nurse at Boone Hospital, Jackie Reed saw families dealing with the declining health of loved ones have to make difficult financial decisions.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The Missouri Small Business Development Centers offer personalized and extensive services from knowledgeable and helpful professionals.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – As summer approaches, Missouri’s estimated 240 farmers markets are struggling with how they will comply with COVID-19-related restrictions. Regarded by many as vital and vibrant community hubs, farmers markets will need to rethink how to work with their vendors and still serve a…
In the first article, we shared some basic information on some of the “whys” of exporting, including the expected growth in the international market for US businesses and available resources in this area for the small business owner to succeed.
Wray founded Creative Edge in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, in 1999, largely as a real estate marketing agency. His primary goal was to build a company that helped businesses “create their edge in the marketplace.” The company now produces nearly 50 real estate TV shows across the country. Recently,…
ST. PETERS, Mo. – Manufacturing is a key segment of Missouri’s economy, representing 12%, or nearly $40 billion, of Missouri’s gross state product.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – To guide the state’s internet expansion and training efforts, the Missouri Office of Broadband Development and University of Missouri Extension are conducting a brief online survey on household internet access and use.
Furloughing family is not something Dr. Steve Rice ever thought he would have to do. Then along came the new coronavirus.