Passion for Pizza - Columbia Business Times

Volume 17 

Issue 4 

September 18, 2010 

20 

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Columbia, MO 

East Columbia Area Plan 

City Council considers plan 

for future development of the 

21 square miles of largely 

undeveloped land south of I-70 

and east of US 63. 

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Greg Neichter shows off his favorite pizza in front of the Domino's Pizza on Ninth Street with his kids (from left) Peter, Eileen and Patrick. Neichter owns 35 Domino's Pizza outlets in Missouri and Kentucky. 

10 

22 

Power Lunch: Sports and 

Business 

MU’s athletic director and 

basketball coaches discuss the 

impact of sporting events on 

the local economy. 

Columbia Insurance Group 

After 40 years in the business, 

outgoing CEO Robert Wagner 

reflects on his career, the 

company and his legacy. 

Passion for Pizza 

Greg Neichter’s pizzeria empire began with downtown Domino’s 

By Dianna Borsi O’Brien 

Standing with his three children in the parking lot of 

his Domino’s Pizza outlet on South Ninth Street, Greg 

Neichter seemed oblivious to the scorching afternoon 

sun that caused sweat to pour down his face and his eyes 

to squint. 

The traffic at the intersection of the MU campus and 

downtown made it hard to hear, so Neichter just talked 

rapid-fire at the top of his lungs. 

This, after all, is a subject he’s passionate about — 

pizza, or more specifically, how the business has changed 

since he opened a Domino’s in the tiny building behind 

him on Aug. 18, 1980. 

“At that time, we had two sizes (of pizzas), 12-inch and 

16-inch, 12 toppings and Cokes — in cans; that’s all,” said 

Neichter, during a photo session to mark the 30th anniversary 

of his first franchise, now one of 35 Domino’s Pizza 

outlets he owns in Missouri and his native Kentucky. 

Then he grabbed a menu and circled what they had in 

1980, just to make sure the reporter gets it right. He’s like 

that; Neichter leaves nothing to chance. 

On opening day, Neichter said, “We sold one pizza 

and one soda.” 

SPECIAL SECTION 

Insurance 

See Page 22 

photo by jennifer kettler

2 September 18, 2010 Columbia Business Times | ColumbiaBusinessTimes.com 

5 

6 

ABC Labs Expansion 

following a $4.5 million renovation 

and expansion, ABC Labs 

opens renovated campus, with 

10,000 square feet of additional 

space and 27,000 square feet 

of modern lab and office space. 

Couple You Should Know 

Mike and Monica Pitts, 

Kliethermes Homes and 

Remodeling project planner 

and MayeCreate Design coowner/chief 

creative director 

ABC Laboratories .........................................................2, 31 

Agents National Title Insurance ........................................27 

ARCO ...............................................................................31 

The Blue Note .....................................................................6 

BlueBird Media ...................................................................4 

Boone County National Bank .......................................4, 15 

Boys and Girls Club..................................................6, 7, 38 

Central Missouri food Bank .........................................6, 38 

Columbia College ...............................................................4 

Columbia Insurance Group ..............................1, 22, 23, 26 

Community foundation of Central Missouri.......................7 

The Community Learning Center .....................................38 

Core 20 ...........................................................................6, 7 

The Crossing ......................................................................3 

Delta Roads Development................................................32 

Domino’s Pizza ..........................................1, 15, 17, 18, 19, 

East Richland Roads LLC ................................................21 

Ellis fischel Cancer Hospital ..............................................8 

flat Branch Home Loans ....................................................7 

Grove Construction ..........................................................32 

Heart of Missouri United Way.....................................38, 39 

Heildelberg .......................................................................15 

IBM ...................................................................................30 

The Insurance Group ........................................................27 

KfRU ..................................................................................8 

Kliethermes Homes and Remodeling Inc. ..................2, 6, 7 

Little Dixie Construction ...................................................32 

Marathon Building Environments .......................................5 

MayeCreate Design ....................................................2, 6, 7 

McDonald’s.......................................................................30 

Mid-America Harley Davidson ............................................5 

Missouri Employers Mutual ..................................26, 27, 38 

Missouri Livable Streets .....................................................5 

Missouri Training Institute ...................................................3 

Moberly Area Community College ...................................31 

Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pastas .........................................37 

My Secret Garden ..............................................................5 

Naught-Naught Agency ........................................24, 25, 27 

Providence Bank ..............................................................32 

Regional Economic Development Inc. ...............................8 

Richland Road Properties LLC ...................................20, 21 

Savant Business Solutions ...........................................6, 30 

Shelter Insurance........................................................26, 38 

Smith Lewis LLP ...............................................................15 

State farm ........................................................................26 

Stephens College .........................................................8, 31 

Tiger Hotel ........................................................................38 

Trabue, Hansen and Hinshaw ....................................3, 4, 5 

Tranquility Internet Services ...............................................6 

Tribune Publishing ..............................................................4 

Ultra Mortgage Group ........................................................6 

University Hospital .............................................................5 

Urban Properties LLC .......................................................32 

Van Matre, Harrison, Hollis, Pitzer & Taylor PC .................4 

Vespa ..................................................................................5 

Voluntary Action Center ....................................................38 

Williams-Keepers LLC ..........................................24, 25, 28 

Albright Heating & Air .............................................. 14 

Beckett & Taylor Agency ......................................... 23 

Boone County National Bank ................................ 40 

Carpet One .............................................................. 13 

Central Trust ............................................................ 19 

CenturyLink ............................................................. 29 

City Of Columbia Water & Light .............................. 18 

Columbia Insurance Group ..................................... 28 

Columbia Integrated Technologies .......................... 32 

Columbia Regional Airport ........................................ 7 

Columbia Turf & Landscape .................................... 37 

Concert Series ......................................................... 16 

Core 20 .................................................................... 39 

Delta Systems ......................................................... 14 

GfI Digital ................................................................ 33 

GolfTEC ................................................................... 35 

Hawthorn ................................................................... 3 

HOB Commercial Realty ......................................... 15 

Integrity Home Care ................................................ 35 

Landmark Bank ......................................................... 2 

Magic Service .......................................................... 35 

Midwest Computech ............................................... 36 

Moresource Inc .......................................................... 5 

Naught Naught Insurance Agency ............................ 3 

Savant Business Development Systems ................. 38 

Shelter Insurance Agents ........................................ 26 

Socket Telecom, LLC .............................................. 34 

Rost Landscape ...................................................... 27 

The Callaway Bank .................................................. 11 

The frame Shop - Columbia ................................... 17 

The Insurance Group ................................................. 4 

Thumper Entertainment ........................................... 12 

Vault ......................................................................... 13 

Wells fargo .............................................................. 28 

West Bend Mutual Insurance .................................. 30 

Whiskey Wild ........................................................... 31 

William Woods University ........................................ 25 

Wilkerson & Reynolds Wealth Mgmt ....................... 24

CBt BUSINESS CALENDAR — SEPTEMBER 

20 

Chamber Lunch & Learn 

11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. William Woods 

University, 3100 Falling Leaf Court 

The Chamber of Commerce Small Business 

Committee will host “Small Business 101: 

Get the Most Out of Outlook,” a Lunch & 

Learn event. Tom Trabue of Trabue, Hansen 

and Hinshaw will talk to the group about 

how to best use Microsoft Outlook. The 

event is free, but registration is required, 

and lunch will cost $10 if you don’t bring 

your own. 

City Council Meeting 

7 p.m. City Hall Building, 701 E. Broadway 

The agenda for the 5:45 p.m. pre-Council 

meeting includes a status report of downtown 

cameras. Agenda available Sept. 17 

at www.gocolumbiamo.com. 

23 

Working with Millennials 

9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. University of Missouri, 

Cornell Hall, Room 205 

A workshop designed to help supervisors 

and managers work with the younger 

generation. The seminar will be taught by 

Dewey Thompson, senior business trainer 

and consultant for the Missouri Training 

Institute. Cost: $185. Contact: 882-2860 

or mti.missouri.edu 

28 

Lunching Outside the Box: 

Teambuilding and Leadership 

11:45 a.m. – 1 p.m. Country Club of Missouri 

The Chamber of Commerce’s EPIC group organized 

this professional development seminar, the 

second in the series. The featured speaker is Dave 

Cover from The Crossing. He will give an “inspirational 

and informative perspective on leadership 

and building a team.” Register by Sept. 24. 

Cost: $10. Contact: Emily Hendren, 817-9115. 

30 

Planning & Zoning 

6 – 7:30 p.m. City Hall Council Chambers 

Columbia and Boone County Planning & 

Zoning commissions will discuss the East Area 

Plan, which includes development guidelines 

for property in the city and county. 

UCIE FastTrac-New Venture Session 

6 – 9 p.m. University of Missouri, Lafferre Hall, 

Room W1004 

Participants will look at all aspects of their proposed 

businesses. They will determine the feasibility 

of their business concept and learn how to 

develop a viable business plan. This will be the 

first of eight sessions. Cost is $259 for the entire 

program, which includes all materials. Missouri 

dislocated workers may attend at no charge. 

Register by Sept. 27, online or by contacting the 

Small Business and Technology Development 

Center. Contact: Robert Baldridge, 882-7096. 

(573) 499-1830 | (573) 499-1831 fax 

editor@businesstimescompany.com 

Advertising information: 

info@businesstimescompany.com 

Chris Harrison | General Manager | Ext.1010 

David Reed | Group Editor | Ext.1013 

Alisha Moreland | Art Director 

Kristin Branscom | Graphic Designer 

Betsy Bell | Creative Marketing Director 

Jennifer Kettler | Photo Editor | 573-529-1789 

Cindy Sheridan | Operations Manager 

Annie Jarrett | Marketing Representative 

Joe Schmitter | Marketing Representative 

Ashley Meyer | Creative Services 

Writers in this issue: Dianna Borsi O'Brien, 

Victoria Guida, David Reed, Sean Spence, Paul Weber 

Columnists in this issue: Cathy Atkins, Chris Belcher, 

Al Germond, Joseph Haslag, Karen Miller 

The Columbia Business Times is published every other Saturday by 

The Business Times Co. 

2001 Corporate Place, Suite 100, Columbia, Mo 65202. 

Copyright The Business Times Co., 2008. All rights reserved. Reproduction 

or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written 

permission of the publisher is prohibited. 

Third-class postage paid at Columbia, Mo. 

The annual subscription rate is $39.95 for 26 issues. 

OUR MISSION STATEMENT: 

The Columbia Business Times strives to be Columbia’s leading source for timely 

and comprehensive news coverage of the local business community. This 

publication is dedicated to being the most relevant and useful vehicle for the 

exchange of information and ideas among Columbia’s business professionals. 

3 September 18, 2010 Columbia Business Times | ColumbiaBusinessTimes.com


Weiman 

Huss 

Hansen 

Hirings 

Eric Fogle has been named chief executive officer of BlueBird Media. 

The Columbia-based company received a $45 million grant from the US 

Commerce Department to build an ultra-high-capacity, middle-mile network 

to northern Missouri. 

Fogle, who lives in Ashland, grew up in Columbia and earned a master’s 

degree in electrical engineering at the University of Missouri. He worked 

for 10 years in Atlanta for AT&T and in a BellSouth Telecommunications 

broadband product development organization. Seven years ago, he 

returned to Missouri and started a consultancy firm, Broadband Consulting 

Group. He was a co-founder of ShareTracker, a market research company, 

which was sold to California-based Nielsen Company. He became vice 

president of product development at Nielsen Mobile. 

Columbia College hired Leanne Casey as an analyst for the marketing 

department. Her job duties include data preparation, dashboard creation, 

report generation, demographic analysis, customer and competition 

analysis and trend research and tracking. She earned a bachelor’s degree 

in psychology and a master’s degree in business administration from the 

University of Missouri. 

Promotions 

Boone County National Bank announced seven promotions for the 

month of August. Josh Begley, Jessica Shillito, Ivan Ruiz and Kathy 

Miller were promoted to teller 2, which signifies that they have completed 

their training and have had six months of successful experience. The bank 

also promoted Jenny Lawzano and Charity Mesik to consumer banking 

representatives. The responsibilities of a consumer banking representative 

include assisting customers with opening new accounts, conducting 

account maintenance and answering customers’ questions. Lawzano 

works in the Mall Bank and Mesik works in the Boonville West Bank. 

Jordan Cox was promoted to financial associate for the Smiley Lane 

Bank. His responsibilities include helping customers in every aspect of 

banking, from making a deposit to applying for a mortgage loan. 

Columbia College promoted Kim Bonine to assistant dean for adult 

higher education. She will oversee 16 of Columbia College’s 35 campuses. 

Bonine earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Lincoln 

University in Jefferson City and a master’s degree in business administration 

from Columbia College. She began working at Columbia College in 

1991 as an administrative assistant and has since been promoted multiple 

times and most recently served as director. 

Mary Batterson was promoted to access services librarian for 

Columbia College's Stafford Library. She was the circulation supervisor 

for 10 years. Batterson will be the liaison to the business administration, 

psychology and sociology departments. This involves providing library 

instruction to classes in those departments and working with the faculty 

to select materials for the library. 

John Huss was elected to the board of directors for Trabue, Hansen 

& Hinshaw Inc. Consulting Engineers. He is civil team leader in the 

Columbia office. Huss has more than 15 years of experience providing 

professional services to higher education including MU, Truman State 

University and Lincoln University. Projects have included the site civil 

part of the Mizzou Basketball Arena; roadways such as Carrie Francke 

Drive and Mick Deaver Memorial Drive; and development to Discovery 

Ridge, MU’s research park. 

Appointments 

Mayor Bob McDavid appointed members of a new citizens committee 

known as “Friends of Columbia’s Parks” to support extension of the city’s 

one-eighth cent park sales tax. Former Mayor Mary Anne McCollum and 

Columbia Daily Tribune Publisher Vicki Russell will be co-chairs of the committee. 

Boone County National Bank President Steve Erdel will serve as 

treasurer. Other committee members include: Tom Atkins, Marin Blevins, 

Sue Davis, Dan Devine, Meridith Donaldson, Kee Groshong, former 

Mayor Darwin Hindman, Linda Hutton, Karl Kruse, Tom Mendenhall, 

Joe Moseley, Clyde Ruffin and Mike Vangel. If approved by voters at the 

Nov. 2 election, extending the tax will raise about $12 million in five years 

for local parks, trails and recreation facilities. Voters initially approved the 

tax in 2000. 

McDavid, Hindman and McCollum at the ABC Labs ribbon cutting. 

Awards 

Richard Weiman, solid waste utility manager for the city of 

Columbia, was named Professional Manager of the Year in Solid 

Waste. The award was presented at the APWA International Congress 

and Exposition in Boston, Mass., on Aug. 15. Weiman was recognized 

for exceptional management and innovations to the public sector 

solid waste industry. He has headed the city’s Solid Waste Division 

for 35 years, and during that time Columbia’s solid waste programs 

have made innovations in landfill design, composting, household 

hazardous waste collections, trash routing and equipment purchases. 

Three MU alumni and faculty members were honored at the 

University of Missouri Law Day, an annual awards ceremony hosted 

by MU School of Law. Craig A. Van Matre was honored with a 

Citation of Merit. Van Matre is president of Van Matre, Harrison, 

Hollis, Pitzer & Taylor, PC, Columbia, and focuses on business law, 

estate planning and real estate manners. Melody Richardson Daily 

received the Loyd E. Roberts Memorial Prize in the Administration 

of Justice Award. The award is given to the law professor or student 

who has made the most significant contribution to the administration 

of justice. Daily is a clinical professor of law, the director 

of research and externship program at MU and has served on the 

editorial board for the Journal of The Missouri Bar since 1996 and the 

Journal of the Association of Legal Writing Directors since 2005. Carl H. 

Esbeck received the Husch Blackwell Sanders Distinguished Faculty 

We want to hear from you. Please e-mail your submissions to editor@businesstimescompany.com 

photo by lG patterson

Achievement Award. The annual award is presented 

to a full-time faculty member who has 

established a record of distinguished achievement 

in teaching. Esbeck, a law professor, is 

doing research on the history and theory of the 

establishment clause of the First Amendment, 

with an emphasis on retaining the character of 

religious organizations when they are subject 

to regulation and common law liability. 

Sen. Kit Bond, R-Mo., received the National 

Biodiesel Board’s Lifetime Achievement 

Award. This award was presented in recognition 

of more than 40 years of leadership and 

public service and contributions to the growing 

biotech industry. Bond did not seek re-election 

and will be leaving the Senate at the end of the 

year. 

Retirement 

Paul Hansen will retire from Trabue, Hansen 

& Hinshaw Inc. He was one of the founding 

members and co-owners of the 14-year-old 

Columbia company. The majority of Hansen’s 

career was as a consultant to municipal and 

private clients. In Missouri, he designed site 

improvements for the MU track and Faurot 

Field and other site developments in Columbia 

and Moberly as well as road improvements in 

several locations across the state. 

Company announcements 

The Central Missouri Chapter of the 

CPCU Society (Chartered Property and 

BuSInESS UPDATE 

Marathon buys August Systems 

Marathon Building Environments has purchased August Systems, a home 

electronics company, from Bridgid Miller. Marathon owners Frank Sovich 

and Greg Wolff said Miller will operate the business under the same name as 

a division of Marathon. 

Miller, who co-founded the company 14 years ago, said she and her three 

employees will move out of the current location on East Nifong Street in the 

Peachtree shopping area and work at the Marathon building on Paris Road 

later this month. They sell audio, video, security and climate control products 

and are best known for installing sophisticated home theater systems. At 

Marathon, they will expand into commercial sound and video applications. 

August Systems does not provide the renovating and furnishings involved in setting up entertainment 

systems, which Marathon does. And Marathon’s business and residential clients have been asking 

for a wider variety of services such as audio-visual system installation. 

In January, Marathon made a similar complementary move by buying Pioneer Window Works from 

Larry Schuster, who now runs the division at Marathon. 

My Secret Garden moving 

around corner 

My Secret Garden is moving from 

Ninth Street, a half block north of 

Broadway, to the former location of 

Vespa at 823 E. Broadway. 

Ruth Lahue opened My Secret 

Garden about 21 years ago. The retail 

shop sells flowers, floral arrangements 

and a variety of gift products. 

Her husband, Steve LaHue, is 

remodeling the new space, while 

son Zac and daughter Stephanie will 

continue working at the new location 

after the Ninth Street shop closes in 

about a month. 

Ruth Lahue said in a news release that the new location will include a retail area for customers, 

an expanded floral design studio and a wedding consultation room on the second floor. 

Vespa is operated by Steve Tuchschmidt and his sister Katie, who opened the scooter franchise 

two years ago and moved it a month ago to Mid-America Harley Davidson, which is owned by 

their parents. 

Casualty Underwriters) qualified again for 

the gold level of the society’s 2009-2010 Circle 

of Excellence Recognition Program. Chapters 

are recognized for efforts to achieve specific 

benchmarks in chapter performance. 

University Hospital’s stroke program has 

been certified as an advanced primary stroke 

center by the Joint Commission. Niranjan Singh, 

M.D., co-director of University Hospital’s 

stroke program, said stroke center certification 

means the hospital is nationally recognized for 

its commitment to providing outstanding care 

to patients and the community. 

Service 

Lisa Groshong and Trevor Harris completed 

their service in the Peace Corps and 

returned home to Columbia in April. The 

couple worked in a village in Zambia for more 

than two years. Groshong was a volunteer 

leader and education extension volunteer. She 

helped rural teachers and assisted women in 

the development and marketing of local crafts. 

Harris served as an agro-forestry extension 

volunteer and helped local residents plant 

and grow trees at schools. Groshong intends 

to pursue writing projects and teach yoga, and 

Harris is the project coordinator for Missouri 

Livable Streets, a Columbia-based initiative 

that educates citizens on the importance of 

building streets that give access to safe opportunities 

for physical activity. v 



AGE: Mike: 31; Monica: 30 

YEARS LIVED IN MID-MISSOURI: Mike: 12; Monica: 23 

COuPLES YOu SHOULD KNOW 

Mike Pitts 

Project Planner, Kliethermes Homes and Remodeling Inc. 

Monica Pitts 

Co-owner and Chief Creative Director, MayeCreate Design 

ORIGINAL HOMETOWN: Mike: Springfield, Mo.; Monica: Moved down the grain belt, starting in Kenmare, 

N.D., stopped by Ames, Iowa, and made it to Columbia in 1987. 

EDUCATION: Mike: Springfield Central High Class of ’97; graduated in 2002 from MU with a B.A. from 

the business school, emphasis in real estate and finance. Monica: Rock Bridge High Class of ’98, 

graduated in 2003 from MU with a B.S. in agriculture. 

JOB DESCRIPTION: Mike: I am a custom home and remodeling consultant and sales representative. I help 

families plan their custom homes and improve existing homes through remodeling. Monica: I think 

of Mike and myself as creative consultants. Mike’s creative consulting just happens to be a bit more 

concrete. I guide small to medium-sized businesses through the process of designing websites and 

marketing materials. Some days I oversee the creative process, and on others I actually design. 

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: Mike: I’m a member of the Chamber of Commerce 

Government Affairs Committee, City of Columbia Bicycle and Pedestrian 

Commission, Metro Rotary and Ronald McDonald House Maintenance 

Committee. I also am a member of Core 20 and volunteer for a variety 

of service projects with local nonprofits. Last year we helped the Boys 

and Girls Club, the Food Bank, Family Counseling Center and the 

PET project, to name a few. Monica: Does it count that I pick up after 

my dogs when we’re on walks? I am a Chamber of Commerce and 

Columbia WIN member. MayeCreate donates design services to 

various nonprofit organizations. I tag along as Mike’s chaperone to 

his numerous community functions. 

PROFESSIONAL BACKGROUND: Monica: I’ve always been an artsy fartsy, 

entrepreneurial sort. I guess those two things don’t usually go 

together. Out of college, I took an internship designing a website, 

then my dad offered me a job with the family business, Tranquility 

Internet Services, to develop our Web design department. I later 

look a job for a local marketing company then ventured off to start 

MayeCreate Design in 2005. I’m still trucking along as a small-business 

owner and create fun jewelry out of fabric, beads and clay to 

peddle at local craft shows. Mike: I spent several years as a residential 

loan officer in Columbia after graduating. The past four, I was 

co-owner of Ultra Mortgage Group. Around the time Monica and 

I got married, I had a desire to change jobs and had the opportunity 

to work for Kliethermes Homes and Remodeling. This past 

August was two years, and I’ve enjoyed every day. 

A COLUMBIA BUSINESSPERSON I ADMIRE AND WHY: Mike: I think I 

have to list three: Richard King of The Blue Note; my boss, Dan 

Kliethermes; and my wife, Monica. Collectively they share passion 

for what they do and have created amazing businesses that 

have helped and inspired people in our community. Richard 

and Dan have been a great source of knowledge when I was a 

business owner. Obviously I’m a big fan of Monica; I don’t know 

where to start! Monica: I have to jump on the Richard King bandwagon 

and add Cathy Atkins of Savant Business Solutions to the 

list. These two business owners have helped guide me through the 

circus of being a small-business owner. When I worked for Richard 

though college, he taught me how to be a good employee. I’m not saying 

I loved it when he yelled at me for transferring him a bad phone call, but 

kettler 

I learned so much from watching him run his business. Cathy asks me 

the hardest questions; her whole job is to ask people hard questions, and 

she makes people think about their business and how to make it better. 

jennifer by 

She has high expectations for her students, and she has those same high 

expectations for herself. photo

COuPLE YOu SHOULD KNOW 

WHY I’M PASSIONATE ABOUT MY JOB: Mike: I’ve always enjoyed the creative process of building — 

or maybe it’s just buying tools. My job is a lot of fun because I get to understand why someone 

wants to build or remodel and then help create a plan that will let them relax in their home, 

create family space or address whatever concern they might have. It’s always great to have past 

clients tell me about their project and how they enjoy it. Monica: There’s just something about 

working as a team to reach a goal that makes me happy. I truly enjoy working with clients to 

bring their marketing visions to life. Websites are super fun because they tax both sides of your 

brain in the building process. I get a kick out of creating online art, the perfect marriage of form 

and function. My MayeCreate team keeps me focused and motivated, and I feel proud of our 

group because I feel like we grow as a company and professionals every day. 

IF I WEREN’T DOING THIS FOR A LIVING, I WOULD…: Monica: Buy an Airstream trailer, travel around 

like a gypsy and teach yoga in every campground I land. I’d create art out of everything I find 

and hitch a trailer to the back of the Airstream for all my art junk and crappy, confiscated trash 

furniture I dream of someday revamping. Mike: Wow, how do I follow that one? I guess because 

we are now traveling nomads, I wouldn’t mind becoming a professional bass tournament fisherman. 

The only catch is I don’t really have any bass fishing ability, but it sounds like a lot of 

fun. They always say practice makes perfect, right? 

BIGGEST CAREER OBSTACLE I’VE OVERCOME AND HOW: Mike: Learning to sell homes and remodeling 

during the worst housing economy our country has faced comes to mind. I have quickly discovered 

that to be successful, you must listen to the needs of your clients and deliver a product that creates 

value in their lives. Also, have thick skin for all the “nos” that come your way. Monica: That’s got to 

be a toss-up between starting a business with no money and locating my spine. Sales, design and 

hunger all start to wear on a person. “No, I’m going to work with another company,” and, “I’m not 

really sure what I don’t like about the design, but I’ll know it when I see it,” start to gnaw at you 

when you’re living on peanut butter and pretzels. I was running around trying to make everyone 

happy when I realized it wasn’t about happiness; it’s about results. When my spine straightened 

and my skin thickened, I started dining on hamburgers. 

A FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT: Mike: My Core 20 group is organizing a fundraiser for the Boys and 

Girls Club. On Oct. 2 we are having The Sausage Festival on the deck of Flat Branch Home 

Loans office downtown from 4 to 7 p.m. Planning these types of events with our group is a 

great excuse for us to have a lot of fun and still help our community. By the way, if you need 

tickets, let me know. Monica: All of them? We recently started on a website for the Community 

Foundation of Central Missouri. Roger, the foundation representative, is super cool. He stops 

by our office and makes us laugh. Marie, our designer at MayeCreate, had a great grasp on their 

creative vision and really nailed it on the first design. 

FAMILY: We currently have two dogs, a Lab named Maybe and a Pointer name Roxie, and a feisty 

cat named June. We’re working to even the ratio of tails to non-tails in the household and are 

expecting our first child this December. Panic is starting to kick in; thankfully everyone we meet 

gives us free advice — even if we don’t ask for it. 

WHAT TACTICS DO YOU USE TO BALANCE WORKPLACE AND FAMILY DEMANDS: Mike: We both are pretty 

social people, so we have to be careful to not overbook ourselves. My favorite tactic we use is 

one weekend a month, we close the doors, turn off the cell phones and have a weekend alone. 

We might do a house project or simply watch movies, but it is great being together. Monica: Cell 

phones, snacks, date night, craft days and bringing the dogs to work. Ask again in January; I’m 

sure I’ll be full of free advice then! 

WHAT WE DO FOR FUN: Mike: Together we love going floating, camping, hiking, digging holes in 

the backyard (Monica’s way to describe gardening) and doing pretty much anything outdoors. 

Personally, I enjoy fishing, bicycling, golf and watching football. Monica: I read excessively and 

create trails of craft messes in every room of our house while Mike golfs or watches football. 

I enjoy walking and running the canines as well as taking them out for public appearances in 

semi-appropriate locales. 

FAVORITE PLACE IN COLUMBIA: Mike: A tailgate on an MU football Saturday. Monica: Restaurants or 

bars that aren’t weirded out by my furry canine friends. 

ACCOMPLISHMENT I’M MOST PROUD OF: Mike: Making Columbia my home. After I finished with 

school, almost everyone I knew moved from town. It was lonely for a few years, but since 

then I’ve managed to meet so many great people that I can’t see myself leaving anytime soon. 

Monica: Not making the cheerleading squad my junior year of high school. It might seem odd 

to feel like that was an accomplishment, but by not achieving my childhood goal of making 

the squad, it opened a whole door of opportunity that would have gone unexplored. Instead of 

cheering I participated in FFA, public speaking competitions, showed cattle, ran cross country, 

took graphic design classes and was given an opportunity to start on the long journey of 

recovery from failure through self discovery. 

MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW THAT I: Monica: Secretly wish we have a girl. Mike: I’m secretly wishing 

we have a boy. v 

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VOICES 

From the Roundtable 

Let’s hope the latest city skyline addition is no white elephant 

Al Germond 

Al Germond is the 

host of the "Sunday 

Morning Roundtable" 

every Sunday at 8:15 

a.m. on KFRu. 

Algermond@gmail.com 

Church steeples were the first of many 

man-made objects to rise above Columbia's 

tree line. 

The latest of mankind's doings to scrape 

the skyline is the oddly layered, skeletal 

shape of the city’s most ambitious parking 

structure. 

Work began more than a year ago south 

of the Post Office on Walnut Street when 

a European tower crane rose above what 

used to be a street-level parking lot. (The 

tower is topped with a Hughey and Philips 

FAA-approved aviation code beacon, standard 

equipment on any structure 200 feet 

high or more.) 

The gray behemoth is startling in its bare 

nakedness as concrete slabs slowly reduce 

sunshine and overall illumination in the 

surrounding areas of commerce. Eventually, 

there will be seven stories of parking and a 

ground floor with office and retail space, 

making it one of the tallest structures 

downtown. 

For visually inclined historians, studying 

city skylines is fascinating. Like measuring 

tree rings, additions to the city's vertical 

profile are indicative of its economic 

growth. Subtractions due to accidental 

fires and intentional demolitions can also 

indicate declines in the community’s economic 

health when the space remains 

undeveloped. 

For Columbia, the first substantial 

piercing of the sky came when Jesse Hall 

was topped off in 1895. The MU administration 

building was a sensation of height at 

the time; a caption on contemporary post 

cards suggested the sleek dome was never 

really out of sight anywhere hereabouts. 

After 1900, the skyline was punctuated 

by the present Boone County Courthouse, 

Columbia High School (now Jefferson Jr. 

High), the Guitar Building, several multi- 

story hotels, a water tower adjacent to the 

old Herald Building, various power plant 

smoke stacks and, in 1925, KFRU's two 165foot 

self-supporting towers on the Stephens 

College campus. 

Work began the following year on MU's 

Memorial Tower. The centerpiece of the 

proposed student union challenged Jesse 

Hall for height but sat all by itself until 

1952, when the north wing of the student 

union was completed. The south wing was 

finished 11 years later. 

Other notable sky-piercing additions 

include the Ellis Fischel State Cancer 

Hospital on Business Loop 70, Oak Towers 

on Garth Avenue, the eight-story Manor 

House on Hitt Street and the water tower 

on Walnut Street. The tallest building, at 15 

stories, is Paquin Tower between MU and 

Stephens, and downtown’s tallest object is 

still the 160-foot tower formerly used by 

the now-defunct radio station KFMZ. Since 

then, the center-city profile has been joined 

by several new bank buildings and additions, 

county government offices and court 

facilities and the rather grand City Hall 

addition. 

In a case of what was not to be, the late 

Mahlon Aldridge Jr. — my old boss at KFRU 

City View 

Government partnerships help community in hard economic times 

Karen M. Miller 

Miller is southern 

Boone County 

commissioner. 

A person would have to be a recluse not to 

realize the downturn in the economy during 

the past few years. As we started to look at 

Boone County’s budget situation, it became 

clear that we had to make some adjustments. 

Local governments have four choices as I see 

it: change the business model (you can’t do 

what you have always done the way you have 

always done it), cut services, raise revenues 

(increased fees and/or taxes) or a combination 

of all of the above. 

The commission, along with the other 

Boone County elected officials and department 

heads, has been very careful with the public’s 

dollars. We chose to make changes to the business 

model and to continue to plan and work 

smarter. Boone County’s current modus operandi 

is to increase partnerships, especially as it 

relates to intergovernmental cooperation. One 

of the ways we have made significant improvements 

is to develop partnerships or cooperative 

agreements with the city of Columbia, quasigovernmental 

agencies and our state and federal 

government representatives. 

One of our top partnerships relates to storm 

water issues. In 2001, the county became part of 

the Clean Water Act, Phase II implementation 

cycle. We were encouraged to get a joint permit 

with the city of Columbia and the University 

of Missouri. Nearly all of the major watersheds 

in our area cross municipal boundaries, which 

include land in Columbia and areas outside 

of Columbia. Separate storm water processes 

might have lead to incompatible sets of development 

guidelines that would have undermined 

the effectiveness of the storm water 

programs. 

This joint storm water permit, known as a 

MS4 and the Hinkson Total Maximum Daily 

A rendering of the city parking structure under 

construction. 

Load, requires the permit holders to act as one. 

This partnership showed its strength this year 

when, as a group, we challenged the current 

drafts of the MS4 and TMDL developed through 

the Missouri Department of Natural Resources 

on behalf of the US Environmental Protection 

Agency. At this time MDNR is responsible for 

implementing the Clean Water Act on behalf of 

EPA. If we didn’t have this partnership, each 

jurisdiction would be paying for separate water 

quality studies and separate attorneys. 

Another current local effort relates to Federal 

Emergency Management Agency flood maps. 

In 2005, we were informed that updated flood 

maps would be created. When the maps were 

released, we found that FEMA’s changes to 

the outdated 1967 US Geological Survey maps 

included only minor changes. The maps did not 

show the changes in course that many streams 

and the river had undergone with increased 

development during the past 43 years. 

US Sen. Claire McCaskill and Congressman 

Blaine Luetkemeyer have used their resources 

to assist local jurisdictions in trying to resolve 

the many issues surrounding the use of outdated 

maps. The city of Columbia and Boone 

County have improved their aerial photography 

to capture 2-foot contours. We believe 

that this new data should be included to give 

us a more accurate base map to determine flood 

protection. Our goal is to prevent our citizens 

from unnecessarily spending their dollars to 

prove that they aren’t in the flood plain. 

Just this month, the commission adopted 

the new Boone County Hazard Mitigation 

Plan. The Hazard Mitigation Plan is a federal 

requirement for every county and city in the 

country to be eligible for FEMA prehazard 

mitigation and post-disaster mitigation grants. 

(continued on Page 13) 

There were 15 jurisdictions that participated in 

developing the plan, including the county, nine 

communities, six school districts, two colleges 

and one university. It was an opportunity for 

representatives to evaluate our preparedness in 

relation to 10 natural hazards, such as flooding, 

dam failure, sinkholes and tornadoes. The committee 

developed strategies to mitigate areas 

known to be a hazard or a continual problem, 

such as the need to raise the Katy Trail to act as 

a levee during flood season in Rocheport. 

This is the only community that isn’t protected 

by levees close to the river. When there 

is a flood threat, the county hauls and places 

jersey barriers and sand to raise the trail. The 

city of Columbia organizes volunteers, the 

Boone County Fire Protection District manages 

the sand bagging effort and the Emergency 

Management director oversees the whole reimbursement 

effort, and the county cleans it up 

again. It is a waste of funding when it could be 

prevented permanently. 

The Regional Economic Development Inc. 

partnership has the opportunity to become our 

greatest success story for intergovernmental 

partnerships. REDI brings together a team of 

local and state government officials, representatives 

from the University of Missouri, area 

colleges, the MO Department of Economic 

Development, MO Partnership and others that 

represent what our community has to offer. The 

success of this group is in the attraction and 

securitization of new business, the expansion 

of existing business and the diversification of 

our economic base. 

I predict that even when the economic situation 

improves, these partnerships and established 

business practices will continue as a 

matter of course. v

VOICES 

Econ Matters 

Tax credits tied to productivity can solve information problem 

Joseph Haslag 

Haslag is a professor 

of economics at the 

university of Missouri. 

In my last column, I set forth arguments 

against tax credits that are used to entice 

specific companies to locate in a city such as 

Columbia. 

The available evidence indicates that the 

local economy does not experience faster economic 

growth by using this so-called economic 

development policy. Indeed, the more credible 

evidence suggests that providing tax credits 

has deleterious effects on the local economy. 

Tax credits need not be tied to industrial 

policy. Economic research explains how using 

a tax credit for a given income tax rate structure 

raises economic output by linking the credit to 

productivity. By solving a basic information 

problem, a tax credit induces workers to reveal 

their true productivity. Greater productivity 

responding to the tax credit raises total output. 

However, the resulting income tax rate 

structure, with tax credits tied to productivity 

included, will most likely be regressive. Here, 

the term regressive refers to a tax structure 

in which the total income tax rate declines as 

reported income increases. 

So, though the output gain is economically 

more efficient, the regressive income tax structure 

is politically unattractive. 

Let me start by offering the economic rationale 

for tax credits. A necessary condition for 

the credit is an income tax. Suppose that no one 

can directly observe another person’s productivity. 

In other words, managers cannot discern 

between the underlying talents of two workers 

who produce the same quantity of goods and 

services. Accounting systems are designed to 

measure output per worker. Owners, however, 

cannot tell if Bob is extremely talented 

and hiding it or producing at his maximum 

efficiency. Hence, productivity information is 

Superintendent’s View 

The cost of employee benefits 

Chris Belcher 

Chris Belcher is superintendent 

of Columbia 

Public Schools. 

cbelcher@columbia. 

k12.mo.us 

I think few of us would deny that private 

and public businesses are heading on a collision 

course with the cost of employee benefits. 

For years, the cost of health insurance 

blocked the view of the horizon. Many businesses 

and public organizations focused on 

managing annual double-digit growth for 

health care premiums. The new health care 

legislation is very complicated and has created 

even more uncertainty predicting future 

health insurance costs. 

A new monster approached almost unnoticed 

as we were waging a battle with rising 

health care costs — underfunded pension 

funds. Defined benefit plans that are often 

tied to the market indicators have lost billons 

with the market decline. Higher contributions 

are needed to keep plans solvent. Such 

contributions must come from the employee 

or the employer, usually some combination of 

the two. 

Teachers belong to the Missouri Public 

School Retirement System. Teachers are 

provided retirement options upon reaching 

various levels of service. Teachers do not pay 

into Social Security and are not eligible for 

benefits besides Medicare. In 2003, teachers 

hidden, and that problem leads to an inefficient 

level of output. It is impossible to identify two 

pieces of information, both productivity talents 

and effort, from one observation. 

The inefficiency is an example of what economists 

call a market failure. Some will have 

the knee-jerk reaction that this market failure 

should be addressed by the contract between 

the company and the worker. For purposes of 

this argument, I am assuming that the company 

has developed the best contract possible, 

and I'm taking the tax rate structure as given. 

Any improvements, or efficiency gains, therefore, 

owe to changes in government policy. 

Tax credits can effectively address the 

hidden information problem in the following 

way. By offering a tax credit, there is an incentive 

for the worker to reveal his or her true 

productivity talents. The argument is quite 

simple. Managers who know the true productivity 

talents of workers will observe that Bob’s 

productivity level rises. (Bob is very talented.) 

When his productivity increases, his wages 

will rise. Bob naturally cares about his after-tax 

wages. With the existence of the tax credit, he 

is willing to reveal his productivity talent and 

will work harder, which reflects his reaction to 

the higher after-tax wage rate offered. 

Tax credits are one answer to this information 

problem. The argument made in the 

previous paragraph is a simplified version 

of research produced by Professor Narayana 

Kockerlakota and others. 

The tax credit is a policy variable that 

lowers the income tax rate and thereby induces 

very productive people to reveal their true 

abilities. Because these productive people see 

their after-tax income go up, it becomes worth 

it to them to produce more goods and services. 

contributed 10.5 percent of their compensation 

to the retirement fund. The Board of 

Education matches the teachers’ contribution. 

Today, teachers provide 14 percent to the 

system with the board matching the contributions. 

Analysts predict that the contribution 

rate for both parties will need to rise greater 

than 20 percent in the future to have a fully 

funded plan. 

An average teacher in Columbia earns 

about $46,000 per year. Thus, in today’s dollars, 

a 20 percent retirement contribution 

would decrease the gross pay by $9,200. The 

board’s contribution of $9,200 per year plus 

the board paid insurance benefit of $5,500 

would equal $14,700, or 32 percent of base 

compensation. The same calculation projected 

for a non-teacher earning $25,000 per year 

would be $9,000 for retirement, Social Security 

and health benefits. This equates to 36 percent 

of base compensation. 

The same scenario is being played out for 

public employee groups, private business and 

universities. Most retirement systems had 

based predicted financial need on the assumption 

of an 8 percent growth in the market. The 

rapid market decline paired with the projected 

By creating the correct income tax structure, 

the government creates the right incentives 

for workers to reveal their “true” productivity 

levels, and society gets the efficient quantity of 

goods and services. The government can either 

set the income tax at the beginning or provide 

tax credits to those who reveal their high 

productivity through the normal reporting 

channel. 

Thus, we have a case for tax credits. Rather 

than rewarding particular industries to influence 

their location decision, these tax credits 

are tied to those whose productivity is most 

valuable in the economy after their productivity 

has been revealed. Because the value of 

the worker’s marginal productivity, in practice, 

this means that the highest income earners 

would receive this type of tax credit. Or, the 

income tax structure could be regressive. 

If we have to have an income tax, then it is 

reasonable to examine how the income tax rate 

interacts with the problem that no one can see 

a worker’s true productivity level. This hidden 

information problem creates inefficiency in the 

economy measured by reduced output and 

employment. 

Interestingly, a tax credit tied to productivity 

level — tax credits are larger the more 

productive a worker is — can be used by governments 

to address the hidden information 

problem. The upshot is that the “net” income 

tax rate structure will likely be regressive. This 

is what economic theory offers as a solution to 

the underlying problem. 

For many, they will cry that such a policy is 

unfair. But economics does not speak to fairness. 

It is better at quantifying the cost accompanying 

alternative policies. v 

slow recovery has changed the assumption 

considerably. 

How will this dilemma be managed? 

First, it will take several years to determine 

the cost of the new health care legislation. 

Such uncertainly will likely lead to budgets 

that build risk into the balance sheets. This, in 

turn, will reduce funds available to salary. 

Secondly, retirement programs will move 

toward longer vesting periods, and some will 

continue to increase employee contribution 

rates. Defined contribution plans will begin to 

replace defined benefits plans. 

Thirdly, individual retirement options will 

be an increasingly important part of retirement 

planning. 

Finally, the use of the word salary as an 

employment term will change to total compensation. 

A company’s benefits package will 

become more competitive than base salary in 

some arenas. 

As these changes occur, more responsibility 

will be put on the employee to understand 

and manage benefits. Health Savings 

Accounts, 401k, 403b, 457, IRA and other 

such acronyms will need to be a part of all 

employees’ vocabularies. v 



Mike Anderson 

POWER LUNCH | SPORtS AnD BuSInESS 

Alden promotes sporting partnerships with community 

THE POWER LUNCH AGENDA: 

MU sporting events bring several hundred 

thousand visitors to Columbia every year. 

A fan’s experience beyond watching the 

game often includes overnight stays, 

dining and shopping. City-sponsored 

sporting events, festivals and shopping 

centers also draw thousands of visitors to 

the city, and many of them check out the 

MU campus while they’re here. 

What can MU administrators, city officials 

and business operators do to make a 

visitor’s experience in Columbia as positive 

as possible? Could working together 

benefit commercial activity, attendance 

and recruiting? 

Director of Athletics Mike Alden; his senior 

associate, Tim Hickman; and his two 

head basketball coaches, Mike Anderson 

and Robin Pingeton; addressed those 

questions in a dialogue with business 

community leaders. 

CBT’S Power LunCh SPonSored By 

Mike Alden Robin Pingeton 

By David Reed 

Soon after coming to Columbia as the University of Missouri’s athletic director some 12 years ago, Mike Alden ribbed 

Ray Beck and Bill Watkins, the former and current city manager, about a minor but symbolic disconnect between the 

mutual interests of MU athletics and the local government. 

Whose bright idea was it, Alden asked, to choose blue and white as the colors for the city buses tooling around town? 

“You guys laugh,” Alden said after hearing chuckles around the room, “and those guys kind of did the same thing. 

But they’re basically the colors of our arch rival, KU.” 

Alden said he’s not advocating that the city spend the money to repaint all of the buses black and gold, but he’s using 

it as an example of a marketing opportunity that was missed. 

MU and community leaders, he said, should always be looking for ways to promote the teams because what’s good 

for the Tigers is good for the Tiger town. 

“We are not the most important thing that happens at the university by any stretch of the imagination,” Alden said of 

the athletic program. “But, frankly, we are probably the strongest advertising vehicle that this university has, bar none.” 

The strength of the athletic department, as well the popularity of the teams at MU, has grown significantly since 

Alden’s arrival. 

Alden has overseen $163 million worth of improvements to the athletic facilities, and the annual operational budget 

has climbed from less than $14 million to $65 million. The amount of money coming to his department from MU’s 

operating fund has dropped from $2.2 million to $1.7 million, and Alden predicted that amount will be zero in two years. 

“MU was one of only 14 programs in the country that actually broke even or turned a profit,” he said. “That’s tall 

cotton we’re with — Alabama, Ohio State, Florida, Texas…” 

Last year, Alden said, more than one million people “came through the turnstiles in that complex we call the MU 

sports park,” including people who bought tickets to the university’s 20 sports teams as well as concerts and unaffiliated 

events such as the Show-Me State games. 

“That’s a significant number of people who touch what we’re trying to do in athletics at the institution but really in 

Columbia and mid-Missouri,” Alden said. “It always gives us an opportunity to sell the university, to sell Columbia.” 

In turn, Julie Ausmus, the sports development fund director at the Columbia Convention and Visitors Bureau, 

pointed out that events hosted by the city help expose visitors to MU and help with recruitment. 

PRESENTER: 

Mike Alden; MU Director of Athletics 

PARTICIPANTS: 

Mike Anderson; MU Head Basketball Coach 

Julie Ausmus; Sports Development fund Director, 

Columbia Convention & Visitor’s Bureau 

Carrie Gartner; Director, Special Business District 

Tim Hickman; MU Senior Associate Athletic Director 

Don Laird; President, Chamber of Commerce 

Emily Lorenz; Coordinator, Show-Me State Games 

POWER LUNCH PARTICIPANTS 

Laura Nauser; 5th Ward Representative, City Council 

Robin Pingeton; MU Head Women’s Basketball Coach 

Kristi Ray; Vice President, Chamber of Commerce 

Jeff Schoultz; Director, Mizzou Sports Properties 

Tony St. Romaine; Assistant City Manager 

THE CALLAWAY BANK: 

Gary Meyerpeter; President, Boone Co. Market 

Chuck Everitt; Member, Advisory Board 

Debbie Larue; Vice President, Marketing 

Craig Brumfield; Business Development officer 

photos by nichelle lawerence

Don Laird 

Tim Hickman 

Carrie Gartner 

POWER LUNCH | SPORtS AnD BuSInESS 

Alden said that during homecoming weekend of football season, 

there are 30,000 people downtown for the parade, many of whom also 

shop and go into the cafés and restaurants. 

More than six million people might watch a nationally televised 

football game, Alden said. “It’s a huge advertising impact for our 

community.” 

But forum participants pointed out that no one is calculating even a 

rough estimate of that economic impact. 

The Visitors Bureau tried to come up with an estimate of the economic 

impact of last year’s home football game against Nebraska and 

guessed $2 million. 

But Kristi Ray, vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, said she 

believes that’s low, considering that Nebraska uses an impact figure of 

$6 million for one of its home games. 

Alden said the last time MU studied the financial impact of its athletic 

program was 14 years ago. 

Carrie Gartner, director of the downtown Special Business District, 

suggested that MU and the city work together to sponsor another study. 

Although they’re not directly related, MU has had record enrollment 

for several straight years, and the athletic program has been more 

successful than ever in terms of wins, postseason competition and other 

measurements. 

Mike Anderson and Robin Pingeton, the new head coach of the 

women’s basketball team, said that though it’s their job to put together 

exciting, successful performances by their teams, the community can 

help by attending more games. 

“You thought we had some highlights last year,” Anderson said. 

“You’re going to see a lot more from this team this year. … My challenge 

to you guys and everybody in Columbia and the state of Missouri: I 

want the Mizzou Arena filled up.” 

Pingeton (pronounced pinj-ton) was recruited from Illinois State, 

where her team drew fewer than 1,000 fans to a home game when she 

started and about 7,000 in her last season. 

“We have to win games and grow our attendance,” Pingeton said. 

“Everybody wants to support a winning program, but we need your 

Two dozen people gathered at the Top of the Tiger Hotel for the Sports and Business 

Power Lunch and discussed ways to leverage the popularity of sports. 

patience. It doesn’t happen overnight. In the mean time … we need you 

guys to jump on board.” 

Anderson and other forum participants said they’d like to see a 

lower number of “no-shows,” people who bought season tickets but 

leave the seats empty, particularly in the early games of a team schedule 

before conference play begins. 

Tim Hickman, the senior associate athletic director, said a ticketing 

system using bar codes is under development and will make it easier 

for MU to resell unwanted tickets. 

In the current system, if a season ticket holder decides to stay home 

in St. Louis, someone would have to get that physical ticket to get into 

the game. With the bar-code system, he said, the fan could let MU know 

he or she is not attending, and the university can cancel the ticket electronically 

and issue a new one assigned to the seat. v 


Voices ... continued from Page 8 

A postcard of downtown Columbia a century ago. 

— used to regale the office some 40 years ago with his yarns 

about the Columbia Tribune's proposed publishing complex 

where the somewhat scaled down newspaper building 

stands today. “Boss,” as we all called him, snidely described 

the Waters family “monument to debt” as being at least eight 

or nine stories high and topped off by a restaurant. Perhaps 

lapsing into exaggeration, Aldridge might have said the 

restaurant would revolve and complete a 360-degree circuit 

every hour. 

During the years, there have been subtractions to the 

skyline as well, with floors eliminated or structures reduced 

to rubble. The old Dorn-Cloney Laundry Building on South 

Eighth Street, for example, is now just a parking lot. 

The postcard (above) shows the view from the southeast 

corner of Broadway and Hitt streets. On the right side is the 

Elvira Building (now the Menser Building). The Stephens 

Endowment Building at the northeast corner of 10th and 

Broadway was torn down after a fire of suspicious origin 

gutted it in 1983. Across 10th Street on the northwest corner, 

the former multi-level Parsons Building has just a single 

story. Further east and out of view, the VanMatre law office 

occupies the once substantially taller Columbia Theatre, 

which was reduced in height after a fire many years ago. 

As for the parking structure under construction on 

the northwestern edge of downtown, the city should be 

applauded for having the foresight to anticipate future 

parking needs as the central business district is re-invented 

as the locus of government, banking, dining, entertainment 

and other reasons to visit. The existing parking garage on 

Walnut Street, between City Hall and the courthouse, is limited 

to its present height and capacity both by its design and 

the adoption of more stringent building codes. It the future, 

undoubtedly, that garage will be torn down. 

What should have gone in there all along was a civic plaza 

— a park if you will — replete with trees and shrubbery that 

provide a much-needed oasis of green downtown. Building 

a parking garage underground as bigger cities have done 

would have been ideal, but Columbia is years away from 

being in that league. 

The new parking structure will have nine rental spaces 

allocated for the ground floor, and REDI plans to use some of 

that space for its offices. 

The city wanted to bring in a private developer to finish the 

interior construction on the 13,000-square-foot ground floor 

and sublease the space for commercial tenants. However, no 

one bid on the city’s proposal. 

We can't say we weren't warned about the building plans 

because there was plenty of discussion and coverage in the 

media. So abstain from saying we were being “libraried” on 

this one by city officials. 

The project should be assessed when it is completed, after 

the tower crane and its winking red beacon are gone and the 

first paying customers are welcomed to its concrete innards. 

Get used to it because it won't go away. But let's hope it 

will be adopted and used and not sit there like some enormous 

white elephant. v 



photos by jennifer kettler 

Customers wait for their pizzas on a busy, rainy night at Domino's Pizza. 

ENTREPRENEUR PROFILE | GARY nEICHtER 

Passion for Pizza ... continued from Page 1 

But lackluster sales were anticipated. He timed the 

opening to fall between the end of summer school and the 

beginning of the fall term so his delivery team and staff 

could work out any problems before business got busy. 

As Neichter talks pizza and Domino’s, he pauses only to 

check in with his children: Eileen, 23, who graduated from 

MU in May with a business degree and is now the marketing 

director for his company; Peter, 21, who is a junior 

at MU and studying restaurant and hotel management; and 

Patrick, a sophomore at MU who apparently is the black 

sheep of the family because he wants to join the Marines. 

“I’m not pushing them into the business,” Neichter 

said. Clearly, though, he wants them to love it as much as 

he does. 

The next time he pauses is to order a pizza with his 

favorite toppings — pepperoni, sausage, bacon, mushroom 

and extra cheese — along with one of Domino’s newest 

offerings, Chocolate Lava Crunch Cakes, which he offers to 

the reporter. It never hurts to try to make one more convert. 

Persistence pays off 

Neichter was 22 when he signed a contract to open the 

Columbia outlet; he was the youngest franchisee in the 

Domino’s chain at the time. 

At first, no bank wanted to take a chance on him, and 

even his attorney was against the idea. 

Boone County National Bank turned him down when 

he asked to borrow money to help cover the costs of his 

proposed enterprise. Then he got backing from the Small 

Business Administration, returned to BCNB, applied again 

and got a $50,000 loan. Neichter said the loan officer told 

him they were impressed by his persistence.


The Neichter family gathered in front of the Domino's Pizza at 416 S. Ninth St. in 1980. Left to right: Greg's parents, Ernie and 

Marita; Greg; his older brother, Leo; and his younger brother, John. 

His attorney, Bruce Beckett with Smith Lewis LLP in Columbia, told him not to sign the franchise 

agreement. It was too restrictive, Beckett said at the time, and Neichter had no assurance 

that Domino’s would renew the contract after the first 10-year period. 

Beckett said Neichter told him he’d be so successful in 10 years, Domino’s would be glad to 

renew the contract. Ten years and 10 Domino’s openings later, Beckett said Neichter called him 

to remind him of his prediction. Today, Beckett looks back on Neichter’s success and says it was 

like letting a racehorse out of the gate. “Greg was off and running,” he said. 

Neichter now owns four Domino’s Pizza outlets in Columbia, which sell about 7,000 pizzas 

a week; one in Fulton; 15 in the St. Louis area; and 15 in the Louisville area. His company ranks 

11th in franchisee size at Domino’s. He also owns 17 pieces of commercial property, including 

several sites in Columbia and a large residential development in Wildwood, Mo. 

But in 1980, he was so eager to open his first restaurant that he helped move lumber and 

debris around the former gas station to hurry the renovation along. After all, he had that $50,000 

loan hanging over his head, and he was eager to pay it off. 

In the 30 years since then, he hasn’t changed much. 

When asked if he still likes pizza, his daughter, Eileen, answers for him and shrieks with 

laughter: “He eats it almost every day. He loves pizza.” 

Neichter admits to eating pizza five or six times a week. What about his cholesterol? He said 

it’s good. And at age 52, he looks fit and trim, so he must be burning a lot of calories. 

Yet, his success has had its price. Fifteen years ago, when he was working 65 to 75 hours 

a week, he and his wife divorced. He met her while she was waiting tables part time at the 

Heidelberg restaurant next door and attending MU. He decided after the split that he needed to 

hire a marketing director, which Neichter said cut his workload in half. 

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These days, he also knows how to relax. He likes to hunt and fish with his children and owns 

four boats, one of which is named “Having Some Fun.” The family also takes ski trips together 

to Colorado. 

When it comes to work, his focus on family isn’t confined to his three children. Other family 

members are also a part of the conglomerate Neichter has built. His brother John has been with 

the company for 27 years and today is vice president of operations at the 35-store company. 

Neichter’s older brother, Leo, has been with the company for 18 years; today he’s a training 

manager. 

College dropout makes good 

Although pizza apparently hasn’t hurt his waistline, it did lure him away from the University 

of Kentucky in Lexington. He was working at a Domino’s delivering pizza while attending college 

when he found out the manager made $35,000 a year — a sum equal to roughly $91,100 in purchasing 

power today, according to MeasuringWorth.com, a service for calculating worth over time. 

“I saw that opportunity,” Neichter said. 

But it wasn’t just the money. Neichter said he loved his job working as a driver for Domino’s: 

“It’s a fun job; you get to drive your car, have the radio on.” He also remembers the time a woman 

came to the door to get her pizza and wore nothing but a smile. “I was 19 years old,” Neichter said. 

“It was great.” 

He also continues to find his job fun. “I love my business,” Neichter said, adding that he enjoys 

working with great employees and the teamwork that is a part of his Domino’s empire. 

Yet his advice for success is pragmatic and focused. “Put in the hours,” he said, “and don’t go out 

spending your money.” 

Neichter grew his business by plowing any profits back into it. For the first five years of his career, he 

drove a Camaro and lived in a low-profile apartment near campus. He did take out another loan when he 

expanded into the St. Louis area, but all of his early expansion took place through the company’s profits. 

The results? In 1982, he opened another store on I-70 Drive S.W. and Fulton, then in 1985 the Domino’s 

on Towne Drive near Whitegate and in 1988 the Green Meadows Way location. 

By 1985, he could afford a Jaguar. That’s also when he moved from Columbia to the St. Louis area, where 

he lives in a historic home he’s since renovated. 

Friends and family 

In some ways, his frugal business approach came from his family. Marita Neichter, who is 86 and 

still lives in the house she moved into when she got married, said she was proud of her son, especially 

of the way he got started. Before he opened the Domino’s in Columbia, he went to Baton Rouge, La., to 

see if Louisiana State University would be a good market, but Marita Neichter said he had some trouble 

traveling because he didn’t have a credit card. “We never did have credit cards,” she said. 

But they always worked. She was a secretary for the Veteran’s Administration Hospital while his 

father had a job at the local Chevrolet dealership. (When Neichter came home with his foreign-made 

Jaguar, his father wouldn’t let him park it near their home.) 

Marita Neichter said they were proud of his accomplishments but wasn’t effusive. “He had good 

luck, and he applied himself,” she said. 

Mark Ratterman, a childhood friend, said Neichter comes from good people. Ratterman’s mother 

and Neichter’s mother still attend church together daily. Neichter hired Ratterman in 1981 as a driver 

— the way almost all Domino’s employees get started, the way Neichter had gotten started. He helped 

Domino's General Manager William Maddox checks the order screen on a busy night. 



Ratterman launch his first Domino’s franchise, and now he owns 

more pizza restaurants than his mentor — 53 in the St. Louis area. 

Ratterman said that in 1981, he didn’t know anything about 

Columbia, but Neichter did. “He’s a good businessman,” 

Ratterman said. 

When Neichter set his sites on opening a Domino’s, he visited 

three potential cities: Champaign, Ill., Baton Rouge, La., and 

Columbia. Neichter said he thought Champaign was saturated with 

pizza places, and he didn’t care for Baton Rouge, but in Columbia he 

met with a lot of people and liked the city. 

By 1982, Ratterman was made store manager, and business 

was booming. “We boosted sales and were within the top 10 in the 

country,” he said. 


What’s changed at Domino’s 

Since Neichter opened his first store, the selections have grown 

from two sizes and one beverage to four crusts, four sizes, nearly 

two dozen toppings, as well as Buffalo wings, bread sticks, pasta 

bowls and desserts. In December 2009, Domino’s went back to 

the drawing board on its pizza and launched its “Inspired New 

Pizza,” with a garlic-seasoned crust and a spiced-up sauce. 

A few years ago, the company stopped promising to deliver 

pizzas in “30 minutes or less” or provide a free pizza, a gimmick 

that led to some traffic accidents caused by speeding drivers 

and other problems. Neichter dropped that practice years 

before the corporate office did, according to his attorney. He’d 

come in and asked Beckett to draw up a contract making sure 

drivers were not penalized for a slow delivery because he didn’t 

want that risk. 

As Beckett put it, Neichter was always looking ahead. And 

he was always looking out for his employees. 

Neichter employs about 600 people, including many who 

have worked for him for decades in the Columbia area. Brian 

Brown, area supervisor in Columbia, has worked for Neichter J.P. Baker pulls a Hawaiian pizza out of the oven at Domino's Pizza.

On a rainy night, customers rush in and out of Domino's Pizza on Ninth Street. 


for 21 years and said the longevity 

of workers is due to 

Neichter’s hands-off, yet fair 

approach to management. 

Others note his generosity. 

Neichter’s store managers 

receive 20 percent of the store’s 

profits, and area managers 

receive 5 percent — amounts that 

are not mandated by Domino’s 

corporate headquarters. Other 

franchisees might give managers 

10 or 15 percent of the profits. 

Founded in 1960, Domino’s 

has about 9,100 stores in more 

than 60 countries. The new 

menus are credited with boosting 

sales; same-store sales in the 

first quarter rose 14 percent. In 

Columbia, same-store sales are 

up more than 13 percent year-todate 

as well. The company also 

offers online ordering and was 

named the 2010 Chain of the 

Year by Pizza Today, a monthly 

trade magazine. 

So what are Neichter’s plans 

for the future? To boost sales at 

the stores he has and to continue 

to eat pizza. And to continue to 

have fun. 

Recalling Beckett’s cautionary 

advice 30 years ago, he 

said, “I have no regrets.” v 


This is the big picture the City Council will examine 

next month: a guidebook prepared by city and county planners 

for future growth in east Columbia, an area spreading across 21 

square miles south of Interstate 70 and east of US Highway 63 that 

is largely undeveloped. 

This is the practical application of those guidelines that 

Council members will face a week later: a request by Richland 

Road Properties to annex and rezone 271 acres of Boone County 

land within the study area that’s now designated for agriculture 

use and single-family housing. 

The developers want permission to eventually build commercial 

centers and relatively dense residential areas in a section near 

the approved route for a highway connecting I-70 and the east 

end of Stadium Boulevard. 

If approved, and if proposed roads are actually built, the land 

could be developed into hundreds of thousands of square feet of 

office and retail space and a maximum of 1,000 dwelling units, 

mostly single-family houses with some allowances for condos 

and apartments 

Robert Hollis, the attorney representing Richland Road 

Properties, said if the City Council once again declines to approve 

their request, the five contiguous tracts might end up being parceled 

into smaller areas and developed piecemeal. 

“We are trying to engage in large-scale, long-term planning,” 

Hollis said. 

So is the city and county, which is why Council members 

voted in July to put off their decision until the East Area Plan was 

finished. 

The request by Richland Road Properties to develop its large 

tract of land will be the first of many to come as the city expands 

to the east and the Council is called on to manage growth using 

the long-range, comprehensive guidelines drafted by the urban 

planners. 

Patrick Zenner, the city’s development services manager, said 

the East Area Plan was produced to provide guidance for the 

development community and residents as to what may or may 

not be acceptable in this entire area. . 

“Not often has this community seen an active effort to engage 

two political entities on a single common activity that will define 

its development destiny,” Zenner wrote in an e-mail, “much less 

engage the public so robustly in that activity.” 

It was not, he stressed, commissioned just to help determine 

the fate of the Richland Road Properties case. 

Developer David Atkins first filed the annexation and rezoning 

petition in November 2008, and the company modified the proposal 

before and after the City Planning and Zoning Commission 

recommended denial of the project in October 2009. 

In opposing the development plan, the city staff and the P&Z 

Commission cited concerns that the proposal was predicated on 

road construction that remains uncertain, included density too 

great and placed commercial property in inappropriate locations. 

Overall, the opponents said the request was premature and set a 

bad example for future long-range planning efforts. 

“We're not here to make life more difficult; rather, we’re trying 

to anticipate what is most necessary to sustain the quality of 

life that attracts many to this community,” Zenner said. “Without 

sound planning policies regarding development, which this plan 

offers, we stand to lose a whole lot more.” 

Mayor Bob McDavid and the majority of the Council, which has 

become more development-friendly since the plan was rejected, 

supported the production of the long-range plan but insisted that 

Richland Road Properties deserved to have its request voted up 

or down by Oct. 18. 

The East Area Plan covers an area containing roughly 21 

square miles, or 13,446 acres. The study area is bounded on the north 

by Interstate 70 and on the west by US Highway 63. The interior of the study area is 

bisected east-west generally by three primary roads: Richland Road, State Route WW 

and New Haven Road along the southern boundary. 

Traversing the East Area north to south are St. Charles Road, Rolling Hills Road, 

Olivet Road and Rangeline Road/Route Z, the area’s eastern boundary. Within these 

boundaries are six watersheds that include the Hinkson Creek, the Hominy Branch 

Creek, the Grindstone Creek, the Clear Creek, the Gans Creek and the Cedar Creek. All 

but the Cedar Creek watershed flow through the study area to the southwest. Cedar 

Creek flows to the southeast. 

Hwy. 63 

So the timetable for the East Area Plan 

was moved up in time for the city and 

county P&Z commissions to consider 

the draft document in a joint meeting on 

Sept. 30 and for the City Council to check 

it out during an Oct. 11 pre-Council meeting 

before it comes up for a public hearing 

and a vote. 

The study, a collaboration of city and 

county planners with area residents and 

other stakeholders, covers land use, environmental 

concerns, utility coverage and 

infrastructure. They held five public meetings 

and summarized the sentiments. 

Residents of neighboring properties 

who expressed their views largely 

spoke against the land use proposed by 

BAllENGER ROAd ExTENSION 

The Ballenger Road extension will be developed 

as a local project. 

ROUTE STAdIUm/740 ExTENSION 

Stadium Boulevard is planned to be an expressway. 

Richland Road Properties and feared 

dense development, an increase in crime 

and a loss of aesthetic value, among other 

changes. Many are apprehensive about 

the loss of their rural lifestyle. 

However, Hollis pointed out that the 

rezoning request is not the blueprint for 

a series of office buildings or a strip mall 

but merely a request for permission to 

build those things. Construction on the 

property in question is dependent on the 

proposed extensions of Stadium/740 to 

the northeast Rolling Hills Road, north of 

Route WW to Richland Road, and Grace 

Lane to I-70. 

The federal Environmental Impact 

Statement is finished, the Federal 

Highway Administr 

highway route in Jun 

Missouri Highways 

Commission gave its 

noted that there is no 

actually build the hig 

able future. 

The development 

to the request says de 

to “that which is sup 

roadways and infrast 

viously pointed out 

ture is available to t 

quate roadways,” a 

the East Area Plan.

ation approved the 

e, and on Sept. 1 the 

and Transportation 

approval, though it 

funding available to 

hway in the foresee- 

agreement attached 

velopment is limited 

ported by sufficient 

ructure.” Hollis prethat 

“all infrastruchis 

site except adeposition 

backed in 

(continued on Page 32) 

I-70 

ROUTE WW ImPROvEmENTS 

Route WW is planned to be a major 

arterial west of the Route 740 

extension and a minor arterial east of 

the Route 740 extension. 

1 

5 

3 

Richland Road Properties llC and East Richland Roads llC want 

to divide this 271-acre property into five tracts. The developers 

want the city to annex and rezone their property. The City Council 

plans to vote on the request on Oct. 18. 

TRACT 1 would consist of 90 acres. Of that, half — 360,000 square feet — 

would be zoned for retail use and the other half for office use or 300 dwelling 

units. This tract would become a regional commercial or employment center, 

which would have a location on an expressway or freeway. 

TRACT 2 would be 17 acres and would include C-1 uses, which includes most 

small businesses, including restaurants and retail stores. This is a change from 

the original application, which asked for this tract to be zoned for all C-3 uses, 

which would include general businesses. 

TRACT 3 would have 7 acres zoned for a maximum of 46 dwelling units — 

either single-family attached/detached, two-family villas or multi-family. 

TRACT 4 would contain 23 acres zoned for a maximum of 116 dwelling units 

— either single-family attached/detached, two-family villas or multi-family. 

TRACT 5 would consist of 135 acres, zoned for a maximum of 538 dwelling 

units — either single-family attached or detached and attached units restricted 

to no more than three dwellings. Attached units could limit land disturbance. 

lANd USE 

The East Columbia study area, 

covering 21 square miles and 

12,346 acres, is primarily rural. 

Here’s the breakdown: 5,045 

acres grassland, or 41 percent; 

4,354 acres tree canopy, or 35 

percent; 1,311 acres cropland, 

or 11 percent; 882 acres urban/ 

impervious surface, or 7 percent; 

524 acres disturbed/barren, or 4 

percent; and 230 acres water, or 

2 percent. 

2 

4


SPECIAL SECTION | insurance 

CEO of Columbia Insurance Group Bob Wagner, right, will pass the reins to Gary Thompson next year when he retires. 

Outgoing CEO reflects on 

40-year run at insurance group 

By Sean Spence 

When Robert Wagner came back to Columbia 

in 1971 after serving five years in the Army, including 

a tour of duty in Vietnam, he had college 

— not a career — on his mind. 

“My sole reason for coming 

back to Columbia was to go 

back to school,” he said. 

Wagner could not start attending 

college right away, 

though, because he had returned 

mid-semester. He applied 

to collect unemployment 

insurance while waiting for 

school to start and was told he 

had to be seeking employment 

to collect. 

“They gave me a list of three 

or four potential employers 

who might be looking,” said 

Wagner, who was 27 at the 

time. “One of them was this 

little insurance company. They hired me almost 

40 years ago. I never escaped, and I never got a 

penny’s worth of unemployment.” 

His first title at Columbia Insurance Group 

was office manager, but Wagner said his main 

"I was happy to 

become CEO, but 

I think I would have 

stayed and been very 

happy even if that 

had not happened. 

This is just a great 

place to work.” 

job was to take care of the mail. “Opening the 

mail was kind of a treasured position,” he recalled. 

“Not everyone got to do that.” 

From office manager, Wagner was promoted 

to an agency director and then marketing manager. 

He was a vice president of 

-Wagner 

various areas of the company 

and was chief operating officer 

for a number of years before 

being promoted to the top job, 

chief executive officer, in 1999. 

When he started at Columbia 

Insurance Group, the company 

had 17 employees and about 

$3.5 million in revenue that 

year. As Wagner prepares for 

his retirement at the end of 

next year, those numbers have 

grown to 330 employees working 

in 19 states with annual revenues 

of $255 million. 

“I never dreamed that I 

would be comfortable in an 

environment the size of Columbia,” he said. “I 

always assumed I would be in a larger metropolitan 

area. But it didn’t take long for this to 

feel like home, with great working conditions, a 

Columbia Insurance Group moved into its corporate office located on Whitegate 

drive in 1975. 

photos by jennifer kettler


family atmosphere, and, of course, Columbia is 

just such a great place to raise children.” 

Wagner was raised in Sullivan, a small town 

southwest of St. Louis, and joined the Army, 

where he reached the rank of captain and received 

the Purple Heart and a Bronze Star along 

with other decorations. 

He married Brenda, a retired nurse, 44 years 

ago, and they have two 

grown children and three 

grandchildren. 

“I was happy to become 

CEO, but I think I would 

have stayed and been very 

happy even if that had not 

happened,” he said. “This is 

just a great place to work.” 

Wagner looks past his 

own experience with the 

company and seems just 

as proud of the nearly 100 

years that preceded his 

arrival. 

“We can trace our roots 

in Boone County back to 1874,” Wagner said. 

“The primary purpose at that point was insuring 

rural properties, farms, rural dwellings, things 

of that nature.” 

Today, Columbia Insurance Group is a mutual 

regional property casualty insurance company 

that works primarily with small to mid-size 

business owners. 

“The company really started to evolve in 

1972,” Wagner said. “At that time, we broadened 

our portfolio to include liability coverage. It was 

a major change in the coverage that we offered.” 

“In 1980 we began operations in Arkansas,” 

Wagner continued. “Shortly thereafter, we acquired 

a company in Nebraska and expanded 

into some other states, and it’s just been a continual 

growth pattern since then.” 

Columbia Insurance Group’s main office 

is still in Columbia and shares space with its 

Columbia branch office, which services three 

states. Additional branch offices are located in 

Austin, Texas; Atlanta, Ga.; Omaha, Neb.; and 

Salina, Kan. 

“Each of the five branch offices shapes their 

own product portfolios so they can meet local 

needs,” President Gary Thompson said. 

Columbia Insurance Group recently purchased 

a 20-acre parcel of land on Gans Road 

Gary Thompson discusses a claims loss with Jon Erickson. 

The company sells its 

products solely through 

independent insurance 

agents, which Wagner 

and Thompson said 

allows them to provide 

the best service available 

to their policy holders. 

next to the Regional Catholic School now under 

construction. The company, which has been located 

on Whitegate Drive for nearly 40 years, 

formed an internal group to plan the move to the 

site in south Columbia. 

Thompson and Wagner agreed that the 

strength of the company stems largely from several 

qualities: a smaller size that allows greater 

responsiveness, a flattened 

hierarchal structure that 

facilitates decision making, 

a relaxed office atmosphere, 

consistency in what 

the company offers and in 

how it conducts itself, and 

the fact that the company is 

owned by its policy holders 

rather than shareholders. 

“Because we are accountable 

to policy holders 

instead of shareholders, we 

can be more focused on the 

long term instead of shortterm 

profits,” Wagner said. 

The company sells its products solely through 

independent insurance agents, which Wagner 

and Thompson said allows them to provide the 

best service available to their policy holders. 

“Our belief is that small-business owners, 

particularly, rely on a local advisor to assess 

their risk needs and to help them manage their 

risks.” Thompson said. Working with local, independent 

insurance agents makes them better 

able to meet the unique needs of different localities 

and customer categories, he said. 

Wagner announced earlier this year that he 

would retire at the end of 2011. Thompson was 

named his successor. 

“My goal was to leave the company better 

than I found it, and I think that I have,” Wagner 

said. “I would like to think that part of my legacy 

is in helping find a good successor. Gary is 

ready.” 

Thompson said that there are things he wants 

to do but does not expect the company to make 

any 90-degree turns. He said he looks forward to 

continuing on the path he believes the company 

has been on from its beginning. 

“I think our potential is virtually unlimited,” 

Thompson said. “Our only real limit is our imagination.” 

v 




CBT Q&A: The Pulse of Local Business 

Calculating health care reform’s 

impact on insurance costs 

The CBT asked Philip Naught 

with the Naught-Naught Agency 

in Columbia and Debra K. Mathes, 

a CPA and partner at Williams- 

Keepers LLC, about trends in the 

health insurance market and the 

impact of the new health care law. 

The cost of employee health insurance for 

small businesses in Columbia has been 

steadily rising for years now. How does 

the cost this year, and the estimate for next 

year, compare with past years in your experience 

with clients? 

NAUGHT: This has been a fairly typical year 

for rate increases. We’ve seen groups that have 

double-digit increases as well as low singledigit 

increases. This is likely to continue into 

the future as premiums are closely tied to health 

care costs, which continue to rise. 

MATHES: Our clients continue to 

see increases in their overall health 

plan costs. We typically have seen 

increases of 6 percent and more, 

depending on the size of the plan. 

I estimate that the general trend 

for 2011 will continue upward, but 

more factors enter into the overall 

equation, including whether 

an employer is going to try, if 

allowed by their insurance carrier, 

to “grandfather” their plan from 

certain provisions of the Patient 

Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

Do you predict that that costs 

will increase under the new 

health care law because it will 

require them to provide more 

benefits, such as coverage for 

preventive care? 

mathes 

NAUGHT: The new health care 

reform law requires a high level of 

services for preventive care. In the 

past, many health insurance plans 

included preventive care subject Naught 

to a deductible, co-insurance or 

a co-pay. Under the new law these services are 

required to be covered at no additional cost to 

the insured. Improved benefits for employees 

and higher expenses for the insurance company 

will likely push premiums higher. 

MATHES: I believe that overall costs will 

increase as a result of the new health care 

bill, but it might be for reasons other than 

enhancement of coverage changes. The Centers 

for Medicare and Medicaid Services actuaries 

performed an analysis of the overall impact of 

health reform on national health spending, and 

it showed a relative small increase in overall 

health expenditures as a share of gross domestic 

product by 2019. 

I anticipate an increase in premium costs to 

small businesses that historically have had relatively 

healthy employees and favorable claims 

experience, while others who have had unfavorable 

claims experience or difficulty finding 

coverage for employees might find their insurance 

premiums more affordable. I also believe 

the compliance cost for small employers will 

increase significantly. 

A number of new reporting requirements that 

are a part of the PPACA could become a considerable 

burden on small employers. For example, 

the new law requires employers to report the 

“aggregate cost” of employer-sponsored group 

health insurance coverage, excluding any salary 

reductions deferred to a flexible spending 

account on the employees’ 2011 Form W-2s. We 

are expecting further guidance from the Internal 

Revenue Service on the factors to be used to 

determine this aggregate cost. This is just one 

example of numerous new reporting 

mandates that are a part of the 

new health care bill. 

A study sponsored by Families 

USA and Small Business 

Majority, nonprofit organizations 

that describe themselves 

as nonpartisan, found that 

about 92 percent of Missouri’s 

small businesses (less than 

25 employees) are eligible to 

receive a federal tax credit this 

year if they purchase health 

care for their workers. Are 

small businesses in Columbia 

applying for the federal tax 

credit? 

NAUGHT: We believe that qualified 

businesses will apply for the 

tax credit. Many health insurance 

company websites and the IRS 

website are offering detailed information 

and calculators to help 

businesses estimate their potential 

credit. Due to some restrictions, 

businesses should work with their 

tax preparer to make sure they are 

calculating the credit properly. 

MATHES: Although we have had a number of 

inquiries regarding the credit, it’s impossible 

at this time to determine the credit for anyone 

whose taxable year has not ended because it is 

dependent on average annual wages. There are 

numerous eligibility provisions that must be 

met to qualify for the credit, and the premiums 

paid on behalf of the business owners are not 

counted in determining the amount of the credit. 

Additionally, businesses with the same owners 

are treated as a single employer for purposes of

the credit, which sometimes causes them to lose eligibility, 

either because they end up with more than 25 

employees or the average salary exceeds the dollar 

threshold when you combine the businesses. 

The Small Business Health Care Tax Credit will 

be claimed on a Form 8941, which was just released 

in draft form last week, when filing your income tax 

returns next year. In other words, the credit will be 

claimed at the same time that 

you do your income tax filing 

or your annual informational 

filing if you are a tax-exempt 

employer. It is not a refundable 

credit, meaning the credit for a 

year offsets only an employer’s 

actual income tax liability (or 

alternative minimum tax liability). However, if there is 

not a current year income tax liability, it can generally 

be carried back one year and carried forward 20 years. 

Have you seen any indications that the tax credit 

will help small businesses in Columbia afford to 

pay at least half of the cost of employee health 

insurance? 

NAUGHT: It is unclear if the tax credit is promoting 

businesses to begin offering employer sponsored 

health insurance. The small-business tax credit continues 

from 2010 through 2014 with the possibility of 

two additional years. The tax credit is temporary, and 

qualified businesses will likely experience another 

increase in cost once the tax credit expires. 


MATHES: We have seen a great deal of motivation 

from tax-exempt organizations that appear likely 

to qualify for the credit, including those that anticipate 

the credit might make them more competitive 

in attracting and retaining employees. Some are seriously 

exploring ways to cover at least 50 percent of the 

employees’ premiums if they are not already doing so. 

The tax credit is temporary, and qualified businesses will likely 

experience another increase in cost once the tax credit expires. 

Are you seeing more companies passing on 

higher premium costs to workers because they 

can’t afford to absorb them? 

NAUGHT: Yes, but we don’t believe this is a function 

of health care reform. Increased premiums, cost shares, 

co-pays, deductible, co-insurance and prescription 

cost is a strategy employers have used for many years 

to mitigate renewal increases. More employers are 

now communicating the true cost of benefits to their 

employees. Education about the cost of health care is 

beneficial for both employers and employees. 

MATHES: I can’t say that we’ve seen an upward trend 

yet in the percentage of the total premium cost of the 

health care coverage being passed on to employees, 

but I believe it’s on the horizon. It’s an anticipatory 

result of the cost containment practices that a majority 

of employers in our marketplace have already gone 

through during the past few years. Many employers 

have already considered or added a high-deductible 

plan option, many times with a Health Savings 

Account companion employer contribution, so the 

upward trends in the premium costs have not always 

been directly associated with the employers' share of 

the premiums. In some cases, we have seen employers 

paying the same uniform percentage of the premiums 

but slightly reducing their 

employer contributions to 

companion HSA accounts. 

-naught 

Is there an anecdote you 

could share about challenges 

local businesses 

have faced providing 

health insurance for employees, without specifically 

identifying companies? 

MATHES: I would take this opportunity to caution 

people that there is a great deal of misinformation 

regarding these changes being spread virally across 

the country, including through e-mail and other 

methods. 

One recent example indicates that the health insurance 

Form W-2 reporting requirement, which begins 

in 2011, means employers will lose any tax deductions 

with respect to employer-provided health care benefits. 

Fortunately, there is no truth to that, but that’s just 

an example of the public’s lack of knowledge about 

the new health care program. We encourage business 

owners and employees to learn as much as they can 

about PPACA prior to making substantive changes to 

their health care plans. v 




Columbia’s Insurance Industry 

When economists and industrial recruiters talk about Columbia, they 

invariably point out that the local economy is less likely to be affected 

seriously by economic downturns than other cities because the primary 

employers are in stable sectors: education, health care and insurance. In the 

latest list of Boone County’s biggest employers, two insurance companies 

are in the top 10, and two others are in the top 30. 

State Farm 

Location: 4700 S. Providence Road 

Year opened in Columbia: 1956 

Number of employees in Columbia: 1,079 in 2009, 1,066 in 2010 

Principals: Mike Staloch, vice president of operations 

Amount of written premiums for 2009: $1 billion 

Percentage paid out of premium activity: 61 percent 

Website: www.statefarm.com 

State Farm, based in Bloomington, Ill., insures nearly one in four homes and one in five cars 

in Missouri. It employs 67,000 people and manages policies throughout the US and Canada. The 

company opened a regional office in Columbia in 1956 and has since become Missouri’s largest 

insurance group. In 2005, the Columbia office expanded when the company consolidated by closing 

an operations center in Monroe, La. They have hired 31 employees at the Columbia office in the past year. 

Shelter Insurance 

Location: 1817 W. Broadway 


Number of employees in Columbia: 1,000 in 2009, 1,000 in 2010 

Principals: J. David Moore, president and CEO; Jerry French, executive vice 

president; William Keithley, executive vice president; Don McCubbin, executive 

vice president; Rick Means, executive vice president; Frank Thompson, vice president of marketing 

Amount of written premiums for 2009: $1.1 billion 

Percentage paid out of premium activity: 74 percent 

Website: www.shelterinsurance.com 

Shelter Insurance was originally part of MFA Mutual Insurance Company but separated in 1981. 

Shelter, now the sixth-largest insurance group in Missouri, has 1,400 insurance agents and provides 

services in 14 states. The company was named as a top-performing life insurer by Ward Group for 

the fourth year in a row. It also ranked fourth in customer satisfaction with auto insurance shopping 

in J.D. Power’s 2010 National Auto Insurance Study. 


Location: 2102 White Gate Drive 


Number of employees: 160 in 2009, 160 in 2010 (330 companywide) 

Principals: Bob Wagner, CEO; Gary Thompson, president 

Amount of written premiums for 2009: $252 million 

Percentage paid out of premium activity: 74.8 percent 

In 1874, the Home Mutual Insurance Company offered insurance for property damage from 

natural disasters. Nearly 136 years later, that same company, now known as Columbia Insurance 

Group, is the 29th-largest insurance group in Missouri and operates in 19 different states. Wagner is 

retiring in 2011. 

Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance 

Location: 101 N. Keene St. 


Number of employees in Columbia: 148 in 2009, 149 in 2010 

Principals: Roger Wilson, president and CEO; Michael Foerst, vice president of information systems 

and chief information officer; Timothy Jackman, vice president of claims, compliance and legal 

services; Michael Kravchick, vice president of sales and marketing; Steven Millikan, vice president

of public affairs; Doug Phillips, vice president of finance/CFO; Joyce Underwood, 

vice president of policyholder services 

Website: www.mem-ins.com 

Headquartered in Columbia, MEM has 200 employees across the state, with 

offices in Kansas City, Springfield and St. Louis. In 2009, the company laid off 13 

percent of its workforce. Policyholder surplus increased from $93.5 million in 2005 

to $154.4 million in 2009. Its number of policyholders increased from 12,320 in 2009 

to 12,508 in 2010, a small jump due to losing policyholders during tough economic 

times. This year, MEM is offering rates 15 percent lower than the standard rate to 

those with premiums of $3,500 or less. 

The Insurance Group 

Location: 200 E. Southampton Drive 


Number of employees in Columbia: 34 

in 2009, 36 in 2010 

Principals: Charlie Digges Jr., president; 

Skip Grossnickle, vice president and COO; Jason Swindle, vice president of benefits; 

Rich Miller, vice president of property casualty 

Website: www.theinsurancegrp.com 

The Insurance Group began in 1922 as Rollins & Rollins and eventually bought 

the Columbia Insurance Co., which was founded in 1898. More than 100 years 

and several name changes later, the group continues to expand. In 2007, its new 

two-story building was finished, complete with a gym and wellness center open 

to the public. The group's policy numbers have been growing for the past couple 

years but does not give out specific numbers. 


Naught-Naught Agency 

Location: 3928 S. Providence Road 


Principals: Tom Naught, owner; Philip Naught, Columbia 

office manager 

Website: www.naught-naught.com 

Founded in 1972 by Tom, Rick and Harry Naught, Naught- 

Naught started in Jefferson City and has since grown to 14 offices throughout 

mid-Missouri. In 2009, it was named in the top 10 growth agencies for Auto- 

Owners Insurance in the Missouri region. 

Agents National 

Title Insurance 

Location: 1207 W. Broadway St., Ste. C 


Number of employees in Columbia: seven in 2009, nine in 2010 

Principals: David Townsend, president and CEO; Brent Scheer, CFO and COO 

Website: www.agentstitle.com 

Agents National Title Insurance, formerly Farmers National Title, is the only 

title insurance underwriter headquartered in Missouri. Total premiums for 

the company have grown from $500,000 at its inception to $2.8 million currently 

(expected $4 million by the end of the year). It serves Missouri, Arkansas, Indiana, 

Mississippi and most recently Kansas, with licenses pending in four other states. 

The total value of property insured by Agents National Title is $14.5 billion. v 




Is your business eligible for the federal health 

insurance tax credit? Here's how to calculate 

Ninety-two percent of Missouri small businesses may be eligible to receive the 

federal Small Business Health Insurance Tax Credit, according to a study by a pair 

of nonprofit organizations. 

Small businesses can qualify to receive up to 35 percent of health premiums paid 

by employers. The study by Families USA and Small Business Majority found that 

85,100 businesses in Missouri would be eligible for at least part of the tax credit. 

To qualify for the maximum credit, a business must: 

• Employ 10 or fewer workers 

• Have an average wage of less than $25,000 

• Pay for at least half the cost of the health premiums for each employee 

(Nonprofit businesses can only receive up to 25 percent.) 

To qualify for any percentage of the credit, a business must: 

• Employ 25 or fewer workers 

• Have an average wage of less than $50,000 

• Pay for at least half the cost of the health premiums for each employee 

The tax credit takes effect this year and will continue through 2013. In 2014, an 

enhanced tax credit takes effect, and businesses may be able to receive up to 50 

percent. 

For the number of employees, two half-time workers will count as one full-time 

worker. 

Insurance Coverage 

Provides Peace of Mind 


silently helps business owners 

focus on the one thing that 

matters - their business 

We provide business owners the peace of 

mind they need to tackle each day 

✓ to open their doors 

✓ to stock their shelves 

✓ to provide excellent service 

Call your independent insurance agent 

today. Discover Columbia Insurance Group. 

Experience peace of mind. 

Rated “Excellent” by A.M. Best, 

the most respected rating agency. 

www.colinsgrp.com 

Here is a way to calculate if your business is eligible: 

STEP 1 

• Take the number of hours worked by employees and divide by 2,080. That’s 

the number to use for total employees 

STEP 2 

• Add up the total annual wages paid to employees, and divide by the number 

of employees from Step 1. That figure is the average wages. 

STEP 3 

• Take the total amount of premiums paid by the employer, and subtract 

premiums paid for owners and their families, and divide by the total health 

insurance premiums paid. That figure is the percentage of premiums covered by 

employer. 

Small businesses are not required to offer health coverage. However, businesses 

with more than 50 employees may receive penalties if they do not. Such firms 

will have to provide health insurance or pay a penalty of $2,000 per worker if any 

receive government-subsidized coverage. v 

Information about calculating eligibility from the IRS and William-Keepers LLC.


Smart Thinking » cathy atkins 

What’s Your Plan? 

Our world is built on systems. To stay in good 

working order, everything successful has a predefined 

process that creates an effective and efficient methodology 

for a desired outcome. Everything from openheart 

surgery to paying your taxes is based on a system. 

Failure to adhere causes problems ranging from 

death to jail time. 

Systems offer reassurance that we’re doing the 

right things to achieve success and that if we, for some 

reason, don’t do the right thing at the right time, we 

know the consequences and know exactly what to do 

differently next time. 

You wouldn’t expect a new McDonald’s franchise, 

for example, to experiment with its own way of doing 

things. McDonald’s has spent a tremendous amount 

of time, effort and energy perfecting its processes. It 

knows what works when it comes to greeting customers, 

frying potatoes and assembling a cheeseburger. It 

does it the same way every time. 

It’s the same way with the Federal Aviation 

Administration on how to fly an airplane or with UPS on 

sending and receiving packages. How would you feel if 

next time you’re on an airplane, the pilot announces he or 

she won’t be following federal protocols and instead has 

his or her own way of flying the plane? 

For your business, you wouldn’t dare operate 

without systems for managing cash flow and handling 

invoicing. Your business likely has systems for 

processing freight, managing production or scheduling 

deliveries, to name a few. Over time, you’ve developed 

procedures because experience has taught you 

what works. Repetition of the right behavior breeds 

success. 

So why wouldn’t you have a system for your sales 

and marketing? Experience has shown me that most 

companies leave this critical component of their business 

to whim and gut instinct. 

If I had a dollar for every time a salesperson said to 

me, “I have my own style of selling,” I’d be a gazillionaire. 

Typically, the salesperson who says this is inexperienced 

or hiding behind a lack of productivity. What 

that statement really means is, “I don’t want to be held 

accountable, I especially don’t want any scrutiny, and 

I don’t plan on learning anything from you.” 

It’s unfortunate, but this mindset closes people off 

from learning new things and prevents them from being 

as happy in their careers as they could be. It also 

keeps companies stuck at a level of revenue that they 

can’t seem to break through. We all want our companies 

to produce more, but how many of us are willing 

to sacrifice the sacred cow of “the old way of doing 

things” to do something different? How many are 

willing to submit to a systematic approach and be 

open-minded to any uncovered inefficiencies in their 

current methodology? 

Despite the obvious benefits, one consistent objection 

to implementing a process is the belief that it 

stifles creativity and individuality. That’s simply false 

thinking. For example, assume you want a vanilla 

birthday cake for your birthday, something delicious 

to share with friends. You bake the cake by following 

the recipe exactly. Because you follow a proven recipe, 

you know the outcome will taste fantastic. But you 

want the cake to be yours, so you express individuality 

by selecting the color and flavor of icing, the message 

on top and any decorations. Once a system is perfected, 

there’s always room for individuality, process 

improvement and unique situations. We might embellish 

the system, but we don’t abandon it. Creativity 

simply personalizes an already proven plan. 

For marketing and advertising to be successful, 

you’ve got to have a plan. I coach businesses in seven 

critical areas that require a systematic approach to be 

successful. Because they’re interconnected, failure to 

have a system for each causes weakness in the other 

six. In no particular order, those seven areas are: 

sales, prospecting, communication, CRM, negotiation, 

objection-handling and behaviors. 

Do you know what’s required to get to a particular 

step? When you reach a certain point in any of these 

systems, do you know what is or isn’t supposed to 

happen next? How do you measure success in each 

step? Do you know if you’re on track or falling behind? 

You’ve heard the adage: Plan your work, and 

then work the plan. Well-defined systems are crucial 

to any business’ success. Sooner or later, you’ll have 

to give in and create a plan. What IBM, McDonalds 

and countless others have successfully demonstrated 

should cause you to stop and think. 

So, what’s your plan? v 

Catherine Atkins is an authorized Missouri franchisee 

for Sandler Training, a global leader in business development 

training, systems and strategy. Visit www.savant. 

sandler.com

photos courtesy of Abc lAbs 

photos courtesy of MAcc 

business EvENTS 

ABC opens renovated campus 

Analytical Bio-Chemistry Laboratories completed a one-year, $4.5 million renovation and expansion 

of its original location in August and hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony this month. 

ABC’s agriculture division, located at 7200 E. ABC Lane, is a research organization that specializes 

in evaluating the environmental and health impacts of pesticides and other chemicals. The lab 

also performs environmental assessments — required by the FDA and other bodies — of pharmaceutical 

and animal health products. 

As part of the renovation, ABC removed several small buildings and added 10,000 square feet of 

space. The project, completed by ARCO design firm, also modernized 27,000 square feet of laboratory 

and office space and improved fire suppression, communication and building management 

systems. To increase energy efficiency, the renovations also included updated lighting, electrical, 

heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems. 

This is the second job ARCO has contracted for ABC. In 2008, ARCO built a 90,000-square-foot 

facility at MU’s Discovery Ridge Research Park for ABC’s pharmaceutical division. v 

Byron Hill, president of ABC labs spoke during the ceremony and helped cut the 

ceremonial ribbon. 

Higher Ed Center opens 

Students, community members, 

faculty and staff commemorated 

the opening of the new Columbia 

Higher Education Center of Moberly 

Area Community College in the 

Parkade Center with a ceremony on 

Sept. 2. 

Enrollment has grown significantly 

since MACC opened a 

branch campus in Columbia in 1999. 

Students, faculty and staff had been 

taking shuttles to various buildings 

used by MACC on Walnut 

Street, MU and Stephens College. 

At Parkade, all students will attend 

classes and use labs in the same building. 

The 37,000-square-foot center has 

11 classrooms, three science labs, five 

computer labs, a student commons, a 

bookstore, three conference rooms and 

administrative offices. v 

TOP: Amy Frey, director of the Columbia 

campus, and Ben Gakinya, manager of the 

Parkade Center. 

lEFT: mACC President Evelyn Jorgenson and 

mACC alumni Gordon Burnam, whose family 

owns the Parkade Center. 



East Columbia Development ... continued from Page 21 

In other words, if the project is approved, 

bulldozers won’t roll in the next day. Years 

might pass before a shovel is turned on the land. 

The East Area Plan is in draft form, but it 

does not bode well for the rezoning request. The 

draft plan recommends that the 271-acre tract be 

zoned residential. 

Zenner said after hearing public comments 

against more commercial development, the 

planning commissions looked into the area’s 

needs more closely. 

“We wanted to look at why the public didn't 

want to have any more commercial (development),” 

Zenner said. 

The summary includes a recommendation 

that “no new ‘regional commercial’ development 

is necessary within the study area based 

on the findings that there exists an ample supply 

of existing, planned and underdeveloped commercial 

property in or within five miles of the 

existing residentially developed areas.” 

Bob Grove and Rodney Burlingame, 

partners of the newly formed Urban 

Properties LLC, have purchased a 19th 

century building at 904 Broadway and plan 

to complete its renovation. 

Glen Strothmann of Delta Roads 

Development bought the red-brick building, 

formerly the location of Puckett’s for Women 

clothing store, from John Ott and did extensive 

renovations, including a raised roofline, 

apartments with decks facing the alley and 

a wrought iron balcony on the second story 

facing Broadway. 

After a foreclosure, 

First Community 

Bank of Clinton took 

back the building in 

a trustee sale and recently 

sold it to Urban 

Properties. 

Burlingame said 

in a news release that 

they will create two retail 

spaces, one at street 

level and another in the 

mezzanine space, and 

the remaining floors 

will be converted into 

six luxury residential 

rental units with multiple 

skylights. 

Burlingame, a 

Columbia native, said: 

“I’m just old enough 

to remember when the 

building housed the 

old Crown Drugstore 

with its vintage soda 

fountain. I guess most 

people remember the 

construction uPDATE 

“About everything's within five miles of 

every type of existing or planned commercial 

you'd ever need,” Zenner said, citing the 

existing commercial areas at Highway 63 and 

Stadium and St. Charles Road, as well as the 

undeveloped commercial areas at Gans Road 

and Discovery Parkway. 

But the draft plan also recommended that 

“new ‘neighborhood marketplace’ nodes may 

be supportable in locations where future residential 

development will be proposed, provided 

that sufficient infrastructure and population 

density are in place to support 50 percent of the 

proposed square footage at the time of zoning.” 

Hollis said the current plan would set aside 

park land and green space. 

Before the Oct. 18 vote, Hollis hopes to discuss 

the company’s request with City Council 

members. 

“If they're willing,” he said, “I'll meet with 

each Council member individually." /// 

New owners to complete 

Broadway building renovation 

address as Puckett’s Lady’s and Dean’s Town 

& Country.” 

Tony Grove, Bob Grove’s son, of Grove 

Construction, will oversee all exterior and interior 

work on the building. Financing for the 

purchase and project was arranged through 

Providence Bank. 

Grove, a former part-owner of Little 

Dixie Construction, said they formed Urban 

Properties to acquire, renovate and modernize 

underused commercial and residential 

real estate in the Columbia area. v 

photo courtesy of urbAn properties

Permits valued at more than $100,000 

issued between July 1 and August 31. 

Business Loop Development LLC 

807 W Business Loop 70 

$1,650,000 

New commercial stores a¬¬¬nd 

customer service 

City of Columbia Water & Light 

821 Hillsdale 

$1,396,890 

New commercial public works and 

Columbia Housing Authority 

1201 Paquin 

$1,200,000 

Commercial alteration nonresidential 

Tompkins Homes and Development, 

Inc. 

505 Old Hawthorne Drive 

$655,631 

New single-family detached 

TKG Biscavne LLC 

205 N. Stadium 

$520,000 

Commercial alteration 

Howe Construction Company 

1010 Old Hawthorne Dr. 

$500,000 


Paragon Construction, Inc. 

2302 Redmond 

$400,000 


Fairway Meadows Corporation 

4011 Ivanhoe 

$375,000 

New single-family attached 

Imhoff Foundation Co. LLC 

5007 Beacon Falls 

$350,000 


Glidwell Construction Co. 

2412 Forum 

$350,000 


Lifestyle Homes, Inc. 

917 Marcassin 

$300,000 


Con-Tech Construction 

6507 Upper Bridle Bend 

$275,000 


Greg Machey 

3710 Atwood 

$275,000 


Shindler Homes 

2102 Port Townsend 

$278,000 


Lifestyle Homes, Inc. 

917 Marcassin 

$250,000 


Fairway Meadows Corporation 

4009 Ivanhoe 

$245,000 


Con-Tech Construction 

4701 Maple Leaf 

$220,000 


Mill Creek Manor, Inc. 

5720 Abercorn 

$220,000 

New commercial amusement and 

recreation 

John Hansman Construction 

3302 Crabapple 

$200,000 

construction PErMITS 


John Hansman Construction 

5110 Newbury 

$200,000 


JQB Construction 

5804 Coral Ridge 

$200,000 


Steve Herigon Construction, Inc. 

3890 Range Line 

$200,000 


Stone Construction 

3206 Cannery Row 

$190,000 


Robert Akin Construction & Design 

LLC 

3114 Funderburg Mill 

$187,000 


Wilcoxson Custom Homes LLC 

4701 Cedar Coals 

$185,000 


Beacon Street Properties LLC 

3308 Crabapple 

$180,000 


Pate-Jones Construction, Inc. 

2700 Green Valley 

$175,000 each 

6 New single-family attached 


4110 Frontgate 

$170,000 


Smith Building Company 

3206 Funderburg Mill 

$170,000 


Smith Building Company 

3110 Ballard Mill 

$170,000 



802 Cutters Corner 

$170,000 


Baxter Homes, Inc. 

3608 Barksdale Mill 

$160,000 


RKI Custom Homes 

5003 Laredo 

$160,000 



1903 Hilda 

$155,000 



3111 Ballard Mill 

$155,000 


John Ott 

101 Orr 

$150,000 


Hercon Construction 

1705 E. Broadway 

$144,000 


Ellis Construction 

5606 Astoria 

$140,000 


Bri-Lo Construction 

5603 Spike Buck 

$135,000 


Michael Menser 

1009 E. Broadway 

$130,000 


Palmer Construction LLC 

2507 Iron Gate 

$123,000 


Hemme Construction LLC 

5302 Wood Lake 

$120,000 



5100 Newbury 

$120,000 


Palmer Construction LLC 

2508 Iron Gate 

$122,500 


On Point Construction 

5600 Sandrock 

$118,000 


Bilt Rite Buildings 

6000 Highlands 

$113,000 

Residential 1&2 Family Garage & C 


5109 Sockeye 

$100,000 


Columbia Mall 

2109 W. Worley 

$100,000 

Commercial alternation 



PubLic rECOrD 

Deeds of trust filed in Boone 

County, $200,000+, Aug. 23 – Sept. 3 

$5,200,000 

CLEEK INVESTMENT 

COMPANY LLC 

LANDMARK BANK 

LT 2 JACKSON SUB 

$4,640,000 

UPTOWN INVESTMENTS LLC 

PROVIDENCE BANK 

LT 160B UPTOWN SUBDIVISION 

$2,160,000 


COMMERCE BANK 

LT 1 COLUMBIA 

$2,007,000 

MENSER, MICHAEL M REVOCABLE 

TRUST 

US BANK 

LT 3 FF GORDON'S PLAT & SUB 

$1,833,000 

ANR CAMPUS LLC 

UMB BANK 

STR 7-48-13 //NW SUR BK/PG: 

1528/171 AC 40.99 

$1,806,250 

MIDWAY OF COLUMBIA INC. 

CENTRAL BANK OF MISSOURI- 

COLUMBIA 

LT 1A NORCO SUBDIVISION PLAT 

NO. 1-A 

$1,425,000 


COMMERCE BANK 

LT 91 PT COLUMBIA ORIGINAL 

TOWN 

$1,360,000 


CENTRAL BANK OF MISSOURI- 

COLUMBIA 

LT 102A WOODLAND SPRINGS PLAT 

NO. 4 

$1,212,500 

URBAN PROPERTIES LLC 

PROVIDENCE BANK 

LT 165 PT COLUMBIA 

$1,200,000 

OVERTON, DORIS J 

BOONE COUNTY NATIONAL BANK 

REBEL HILLS MOBILE HOME PARK 

FF WITH EXCEPTIONS 

$1,007,916 

GIER HOLDINGS LLC 

JEFFERSON BANK OF MISSOURI 

LT 1 I-70 EAGLE STOP PLAT NO. 1 

$1,000,000 

KEITHAHN, STEPHEN & MARI ANN 

COMMERCE BANK 

LT 20 ARROWHEAD LAKE ESTATES 

$800,000 

ALPHA GAMMA CHAPTER OF 

ALPHA DELTA PI HOUSE CORP. 

LANDMARK BANK 

LT 14 PT LA GRANGE PLACE 

$755,000 


SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 

LT 1A NORCO SUBDIVISION PLAT 

NO. 1-A 

$750,000 

NICHOLS, MICHAEL FREDERICK 

REVOCABLE INTER VIVOS TRUST 


LT 32-D SURVEY FF BONNE FEMME 

ESTATES 

$569,000 


SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION 

LT 102A WOODLAND SPRINGS PLAT 

NO. 4 

$531,250 

VOELLER, BENNETT & TERESA 


LT 59 ROCKBRIDGE SUB REPLAT LT 

34,35,52,54,55 

$450,000 

LANDWEHR DEVELOPMENT LLC 

HAWTHORN BANK LT 

C LAKE BROADWAY 

CONDOMINIUMS FF BROADWAY 

OFFICE 

$417,000 

TIDBALL, KEVIN L & JENNIFER R 

MID AMERICA MORTGAGE 

SERVICES INC. 

LT 137 WOODLANDS THE PLAT 

NO. 5A 

$417,000 

CREIGHTON, DONALD L & 

MONICA ANN 


LT 1 HILL CREEK SUB 

$417,000 

HARRIS, CATHARINE J 

PERL MORTGAGE INC. 

LT 102 WOODLANDS PLAT NO. 4B 

$417,000 

CHANCELLOR, BRAD R & DIANE N 

FIRST STATE COMMUNITY BANK 

LT 61 THORNBROOK PLAT NO. 3 

$417,000 

CHEEK, ROBERT F & KERSTEN, 

CATALINA M 


SERVICES INC. 

LT 124 WESTWOOD ADD 

$412,500 

SMITH, PHILLIP J & CHRISTEN E 

BEELER, MARY SUE 

STR 14-48-14 /E/SE AC 80 

$408,500 

BOWLES, RICHARD H & NANCY L 

CENTRAL TRUST BANK 

LT 21C HIGHLANDS PLAT NO. 3 

$400,000 

JUENGERMANN, LEE & CECILIA 

HAWTHORN BANK 

LT 1 AUDUBON ESTATES PLAT NO. 2 

$400,000 

JUENGERMANN, LEE & CECILIA 

HAWTHORN BANK 

LT 139 MEADOWBROOK WEST SUB 

BLK 5 

$385,700 

FLEMING, MATTHEW & PAULA 

STIFEL BANK & TRUST 


$380,000 

KOVAL, NICK & OKSANA 

CALLAWAY BANK THE 


NO. 5A 

$375,000 

KEITHAHN, STEPHEN T & MARI 

ANN Z 

COMMERCE BANK 

LT 42 CHAPEL HILL ESTATES PLAT 

NO. 2 

$369,150 

PETERS, WALTER RUSSELL JR & 

STACY S 

LANDMARK BANK 

LT 401B VILLAS AT OLD 

HAWTHORNE PLAT NO. 4 

$360,000 

BESHORE, BRENT C & ERICA L 

COMMERCE BANK 

LT 300 OLD HAWTHORNE PLAT 

NO. 3 

$356,000 

BARBEE, SAM C & MONICA M


SERVICES INC. 

LT 2 HUNTERS RIDGE SUB 

$352,000 

MACKEY, GREGGORY K 

COUNTY BANK 

LT 244 VILLAGES AT ARBOR POINTE 

PLAT NO. 2 THE 

$349,200 

WHITWORTH, MATT J & CAROL J 

FIRSTRUST MORTGAGE INC. 

LT 1 WINSCOTT SUBDIVISION PLAT 

$336,700 

SIDDALL, MARTIN L REVOCABLE 

TRUST AGREEMENT 


LT 111A MADISON PARK PLAT NO. 4 

$330,000 

FENNEL, JACK F & BARBARA MOLL 


SERVICES INC. 


$316,000 

TUREK, MICHAEL & JENNIFER 


SERVICES INC. 


$312,000 

HUSTEDDE, BLAKE A & TIFFANY N 

US BANK 

LT 241 OLD HAWTHORNE PLAT 

NO. 2 

$312,000 

HASKAMP, KEVIN L & ELIZABETH M 


SERVICES INC. 

STR 25-49-14 //NW SUR BK/PG: 

1785/809 FF TR 2 

$310,000 

EADY, CHERYL ANN 

STONEGATE MORTGAGE CORP. 


$303,375 

BOUCHER, JON W & LOU ANN 

IBERIABANK MORTGAGE CO. 


$300,650 

WEACHTER, RICHARD J JR & JEAN G 


LT 19 HUNTERS RIDGE SUB 

$300,000 

MCMENAMY, JAMES C & PATRICIA H 


LT 3 MCMENAMY SUBDIVISION 

PLAT 1 

$300,000 

GILPIN, LEONARD LEE & SUSAN ANN 

COMMERCE BANK 


$300,000 

BROADFIELD PROPERTIES LLC 

HAWTHORN BANK 

LT 1B1 OLD HAWTHORNE PLAZA 

PLAT NO. 1-B 

$295,000 

MOEN, DARYL R & DUFFY, 

MARGARET E 


LT 10-A WOODRAIL SUB PLAT NO. 3 

$294,000 

HEPPNER, MARY J & PUNCKY PAUL 


STR 13-47-13 //N SUR BK/PG: 

868/627 FF TRACT 6 

$291,000 

GILLIS, KEVIN D & RHONDA C 


LT 84 WOODLANDS PLAT 4A THE 

$289,630.32 

GILMORE, CHARLES ROBIN & 

ANNE MARIE 

ALLIANT BANK - MONROE CITY 


$288,000 

DUGGER, SHANNON M & ANGELA B 

HAWTHORN BANK 

LT 510 SMITHTON RIDGE PLAT 5 

$285,000 

RAETZ, JEFFREY W & JUDY R 


LT 168 HERITAGE ESTATES PLAT 

NO. 1 

$280,650 

SHERMAN, MICHAEL P & JANICE 

LANDMARK BANK 

LT 126 ARBOR FALLS PLAT NO. 1 

$277,000 

JOHNSON, STEPHEN D & SUSAN M 

IBERIABANK MORTGAGE CO. 


$272,600 

HAYES, MATTHEW & KRISTINE 

LANDMARK BANK 

LT 235 SPRING CREEK PLAT NO. 2 

$271,400 

WOODWARD, JON W & DONNITA L 

MISSOURI CREDIT UNION 

LT 1219 HIGHLANDS PLAT NO. 12-B 

$271,000 

SUTHERLAND, L SCOTT & MELODY R 

BANK OF MISSOURI THE 


$270,827.61 

MORTON, STEVEN D & LYHE- 

MORTON, PAMELA 

HAWTHORN BANK 

LT 18 EAGLE KNOLL PLAT 1 

$269,439 

LAPSLEY, THADDEUS W & ANGELA M 

DAS ACQUISITION COMPANY LLC 

STR 17-50-12 /W/SE SUR BK/PG: 

2462/67 AC 10.020 

$266,250 

JOHNSON, GREGORY A & LORI A 


LT 3 TOMLIN HILL LAKES 

$263,200 

BRICENO, PHILLIP & VICTORIA 

PREMIER MORTGAGE SERVICES LLC 

LT 133 BELLWOOD PLAT NO. 1 

$261,550 

MILLSPAUGH, JOSHUA J & WOODS, 

RAMI J 


LT 33 HILL CREEK SUB 

$260,000 

KERN, MYRON A & KAREN S 

ENVOY MORTGAGE LTD 

LT 31 BEDFORD WALK PLAT NO. 2 

$260,000 

CROCKETT, BILL R 


SERVICES INC. 

LT 39 WOODRIDGE SUB BLK 6 

$260,000 

REARDON, JOSEPH & KIMBERLY 

TRUST THE 

STIFEL BANK & TRUST 

LT 528 PT BLUFF CREEK ESTATES 

PLAT NO. 5-A 

$259,998 

KURA, RAGHUVEER & NIVEDITA 

BANK OF MISSOURI THE 

LT 74 MILL CREEK MANOR PLAT 

NO. 1 

$259,800 

STRATMAN, SCOTT A & DENA 

BROOKE 


LT 7 WALNUT GROVE 

$259,600 

STEPHENS, GRANT & DANA A 


STR 3-50-12 //S SUR BK/PG: 3371/135 

AC 30.060 

$259,000 

SALLADAY, BRANDON L & AMY D 

FCS FINANCIAL ACA 

STR 36-50-13 //SE SUR BK/PG: 

224/370 AC 24.95 

$256,500 

VOLGAS, DAVID A BOONE 

COUNTY NATIONAL BANK 

LT 2414 BOULDER SPRINGS- 

COLUMBIA CONDOMINIUM 

$253,900 

BALLARD, SUSAN K TRUST 


STR 16-47-11 //SE SUR BK/PG: 

793/597 FF TRACT A 

$253,025 

DEAN, JANET K TRUST 

AGREEMENT 


STR 32-48-11 E/W/SW SUR BK/PG: 

1795/356 AC 20.040 

$252,817 

FREY, JEFFERY P 

FLAT BRANCH MORTGAGE INC. 

LT 7 BL 2 QUARRY HEIGHTS 

$250,000 

REISSING, DONALD REILLY III & 

REBECCA DANIELLE 

FIRST STATE COMMUNITY BANK 

LT 29 SOUTHFORK LAKE SUB PLAT 

NO. 3 

$250,000 

ROST, TIMOTHY J & TOBY A 


STR 2-48-14 /E/NE FF W/ 

EXCEPTIONS 

$248,552 

REYNOLDS, JESSE L & HANNAH D 

FLAT BRANCH MORTGAGE INC. 

STR 28-47-11 /E/NE SUR BK/PG: 

1867/512 AC 100 

$248,000 

PREMKUMAR, NOEL & PRITI 

GATEWAY MORTGAGE GROUP LLC 

LT 142 BEDFORD WALK PLAT NO. 4 

$248,000 

HUMPHREY, LISA K TRUST 

AGREEMENT 

LANDMARK BANK 

LT 50B COUNTRY CLUB VILLAS II LT50 

$247,751 

CROOM, SCOTT M & SARAH M 

REGIONS BANK 

LT 69 MILL CREEK MANOR PLAT 

NO. 1 

$246,350 

SOHA, JOSEPH J & MARY SUSAN 

LANDMARK BANK 

LT 30 BRISTOL LAKE PLAT NO. 1 

$245,600 

WEHMEYER, TYSON & JEFFRESS- 

WEHMEYER, TARA 

LANDMARK BANK 

LT 408 CASACADES PLAT NO. 4 THE 

$242,700 

PERRY, MICHAEL C & NANCY A 

LANDMARK BANK 


NO. 5A 

Miss-Lou’s 

Catering 

(Mississippi-Louisiana) 

Delivering ALL Your 

Catering Needs From 

Tailgates to Weddings, 

Anywhere You Want! 

We Do Ice Carvings Too! 

Call 573.673.1637 or email miss-louscatering@hotmail.com 

SWING EVALUATION SESSION 

ONLY $99 

MILLIONS OF LESSONS GIVEN NATIONWIDE 

GOLF DOESN’T 

HAVE TO BE A 

FOUR-LETTER WORD. 

With millions of lessons given and a 95% success 

rate, GolfTEC will put an end to the frustrations and 

outbursts caused by inconsistent golf. 

Contact a GolfTEC Certified Personal Coach to get 

started today. 

LESSONS 

3401 Broadway Business Park Ct • Ste 107 

Columbia, MO 65203 • 573-355-9400 

ChangeMyGame.com 

*Limited time offer. Prices and participation may vary, Visit a GolfTEC Improvement 

Center for details. Certified Personal Coach is a trademark and GolfTEC is a registered 

trademark of GollfTEC Intellectual Property, LLC. 


*Issued by the city in 

August, includes changes 

in ownership 

General Business Licenses: 

AAA The Financial Doctor 

Sherman Horton 

(573) 886-8989 

3610 Buttonwood Drive, 

No. 200 

Financial assistance 

Advisors Edge Marketing 

Inc. 

Leroy Stuerke 

(800) 260-2927 

3610 Buttonwood Drive, 

No. 200 

Financial marketing 

advisor 

China Star 

Ming Qiu 

(573) 446-8866 

3301 Broadway Business 

Park Court, Ste. D 

Restaurant 

Dreams Smoke Shop 

Shaun Ward 

(573) 444-8502 

101 E. Walnut St., Ste. C 

Retail tobacco and smoking 

products 

Galactic Fun Zone LLC 

Lorenzo Williams III 

(573) 777-0903 

3412 Grindstone Parkway 

Family fun center, bar and 

grill 

GDR Acquisition 

Company LLC 

Gregory Ousley 

(888) 660-2341 

3901 S. Providence Road, 

Ste. D 

Accounts receivable, 

neW business LICENSES 

portfolio sales, titling 

service 

Glamour Nails & Spa 

Hong Hoa Lam 

(573) 875-2299 

215 N. Stadium Blvd., 

Ste. 109 

Nail salon 

Jen Kamp Massage LLC 

Jennifer Kamp 

(573) 356-9524 

4200 Merchant St., Ste. 101 

Massage therapy 

Olive Cafe 

Jawad Hijaz 

(573) 446-7707 

21 N. Providence Road 

Restaurant and grocery 

store 

Pickleman’s 

TWS Franchising LLC 

(573) 442-8180 

2513 S. Old 63, Ste. 100 

Restaurant 

Steve-O’s 

Midway of Columbia Inc. 

(573) 619-1879 

4600 Paris Road, Ste. 104 

Convenience store 

Taqueria Guadalajara 

Guadalajara LLC 

1802 Paris Road 

Restaurant and bar 

Teppanyaki LLC 

Huimei Sun 

(573) 886-2888 

908 I-70 Drive S.W. 

Restaurant 

Bambino’s Italian Cafe 

LLC 

Bambino’s Italian Cafe LLC 

(573) 443-4473 

203 Hitt St. 

Restaurant 

Forge and Vine 

The Fieldhouse Inc. 

(573) 443-6743 

119 S. Seventh St. 


Inner Wisdom Massage 

Therapy 

Anna Duff 

(573) 289-7603 

5 S. Ninth St., Room 203 

Massage therapy 

Red and Moe 

Tom Rippeto 

Red & Moe LLC 

21 N. Ninth St. 


(573) 489-6521 

The Bead Gallery 

Jessica Otterbacher 

(573) 356-4915 

1013 E. Walnut St., Ste. 100 

Retail beads, art, etc. 

The Chef Connection LLC 

Dawn Thompson 

(573) 219-2660 

22 N. Ninth St. 

Café and catering 

The Rome Restaurant 

The Rome LLC 

(573) 876-2703 

114 S. Ninth St. 

Italian restaurant 

Wilson’s Fitness 

James Abrams 

(573) 777-6700 

111 Orr St. 

Fitness center 

Home-based licenses: 

Central Missouri Carpet 

Cleaning 

David Driscoll 

(573) 694-4516 

3404 Snow Leopard Drive 

Carpet cleaning and 

janitorial services 

Champion Software LLC 

Ann Marie Komo 

(573) 441-8002 

1911 Lovejoy Lane 

Software development for 

pawn shops 

Cooper Editorial & 

Scientific 

Pamela Cooper 

(573) 442-1340 

403 S. West Blvd. 

Medical/science editing, 

writing, consulting 

Flo’s A-1 Cleaning & 

Remodeling 

Florence Rainey-Hicks 

(573) 219-1414 

612 Washington Ave. 

General contractor 

Fully Grounded 

John Paul O’Connor 

(573) 673-8778 

605 N. Ann St. 

Lawn care, landscaping, 

gardening 

Information Technology 

Network 

Carl McKnight 

(573) 442-1006 

5 N. Garth Court 

Computer consulting 

neW business uPDATE 

Mr. Goodcents restaurant opens 

Mr. Goodcents Subs & Pastas opened this month in the 

Broadway Bluffs commercial center at the intersection of East 

Broadway and Trimble Road, just off US Highway 63. 

Randy Russell owns and operates the Columbia franchise 

and said he plans to add two more Mr. Goodcents restaurants 

in the city during the next six to 12 months. Russell also has an 

outlet of the franchise in St. Joseph. 

Mr. Goodcents, which has nearly 100 restaurants in nine 

states, had an outlet in Columbia that closed in 2002. v 



United Way increases fundraising goal 

The Heart of Missouri United Way kicked off its annual fundraising 

campaign this month and announced a slight increase in its goal, to $3.3 

million. The donated money will go to 31 partner agencies running 60 social 

service programs. 

The economic downturn has made it more difficult for people to donate 

money, but it’s also caused more people to seek social services because of 

related job cuts and pay reductions. 

Don McCubbin, the campaign leader and a Shelter Insurance executive, 

spoke to approximately 150 local volunteers at the kickoff celebration in the 

Tiger Hotel ballroom on Sept. 3. He said the goal will be difficult to reach 

but added, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” 

United Way Executive Director Tim Rich said donors gave $3.26 million 

last year, about $50,000 more than the goal announced at the 2009 campaign 

kickoff. Rich pointed out that many agencies have had significant increases 

in requests for their services while also dealing with federal and state funding 

cutbacks. 

Rich gave four examples of the increased need: 

• The Voluntary Action Center reports an 8 percent increase in the number 

of new households that never before sought its services. 

• The Community Learning Center has seen a 23 percent increase in 

low-income children needing services. 

• Boys and Girls Club, which provides before-school and after-school 

programs for at-risk youth, has 200 children on its waiting list. 

• The Central Missouri Food Bank’s local pantry reports that it’s assisting 

more than 150 families a month who have never asked for food help 

before. 

On Sept. 10, Missouri Employers Mutual hosted the 4th Annual Keene 

Street Neighbors Community Barbeque to support the Heart of Missouri 

United Way. 

MEM turned what had been a company event to a community event by 

establishing the Keene Street Neighbors Coalition, a group of businesses, 

medical facilities and community volunteers along Keene Street to expand 

United Way fundraising and volunteer activities. 

The event featured raffles, games, a dunk tank and more than 10 United 

Way partner agency booths. v 

1 

1. From left: Tim Rich, executive director of the Heart of missouri United Way, with United Way board members matt 

Garrett, director of audience development at KOmU Tv-8, and Terry Coffelt, executive vice president at landmark Bank. 

2. Gail Fitzgerald 

3. mEm employees Bob Steinmetz and Jake Novinger volunteer their time to grill burgers for the Keene Street event. 

4. don mcCubbin, United Way board member and executive vice president at Shelter Insurance, and Roger WIlson, 

mEm president and CEO. 

5. Wilson attempts to dunk his assistant in the dunk tank.

2 

3 

4 5

Passion for Pizza - Columbia Business Times

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