The Main (Street) Event: Five New Players

Last Thursday, Nora Feuquay from the Monroe County Economic Development Council (MCEDC) and Paul Ellis from the City of Columbia Community & Economic Development Department began retention visits with Main Street merchants.  The purpose of these visits is to build a database of local businesses and get to know them better so as to provide assistance when it's needed--even better, before help is needed.

Columbia's Main Street has developed a new vitality that is reflected in the diversity of these first five merchants visited by the local economic development team:

Evalina's Antique Cafe - After years of success with Winghorse Farms on Triple Lakes Road, Barbara Ratz decided to follow a new dream and open an antique shop at 124 S. Main; she also sells desserts and serves soup and sandwiches amid the antiques, consignment items and locally-made crafts.

Fashion Attic - Lori Prior has transferred her skills as a successful Realtor into a run as owner of a consignment shop at 128 S. Main, where she offers stylish clothing, jewelry, hats, purses, and bags for discriminating customers.

Above & Beyond Design by Marla - After years of working for a corporation, Marla Vogt struck out on her own to design custom kitchens for customers from Waterloo to Chesterfield; she opened her showroom at 128 S. Main after working out of her home and winning customer acclaim.

Chateau La Vin - Another refugee from the corporate world, Bob Freyman opened Chateau La Vin Wine Shop & Tasting Bar at 119 S. Main just a few months ago; his shop offers a respite from shopping where customers can sip wine and watch the traffic go by.

Who Dat's Southern Food - Bourbon St. meets the Midwest at 123 S. Main in Who Dat's, where Creole is king and owner Chris Salvage offers Southern hospitality with the cuisine.

Even though each of these five relatively new firms is unique, they share at least two common characteristics--optimism for the future, and the sense that Columbia's Main Street is where their future fortunes (literal and figurative) will be found.

Senator Durbin Proposes Deficit Reduction, Main Street 'Fairness'

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin met with leaders from across Southwestern Illinois this morning for a first round of discussion on how to balance the federal budget and help spur economic recovery on Main Street. The meeting, held in Collinsville, was organized by the Leadership Council Southwestern Illinois and drew about 70 participants from Madison, Monroe & St. Clair counties.

Durbin—the second highest-ranking member of the Senate and a member of the bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (aka the “Deficit Reduction Commission”)—focused his remarks on strategies he advocates to reduce the $14 trillion federal deficit. The overall approach, as he sees it, is to balance investments against spending cuts until the recession ends, then to aggressively attack spending cuts. Durbin is forthright about the scale of that task, observing that the nation will have to “get radical” and that “we cannot balance the budget without dealing with the rapidly rising costs of healthcare” despite many entrenched interests to the contrary.

Speaking to a group composed largely of businesspeople and local government officials, Durbin cited two specific pieces of legislation that he is pushing forward to help support economic recovery:

• Legislation to monitor and reduce the interchange fees imposed upon businesses by financial institutions for the use of debit cards;
• The Main Street Fairness Act, which would levy sales tax upon Internet sales—Durbin contends that this measure would “level the playing field” for brick-and-mortar retailers and infuse revenue back to state and local governments.

Fielding questions from the audience, Durbin reiterated his support for a “reasonable approach” to maintaining levees and noted that the latest version of the Congressional budget cuts funding for the Army Corps of Engineers.

Turning Over a 'New Leaf' on Main Street

Historic Main Street Columbia's newest business will put customers' health in good hands and help them to turn over a "new leaf" as regards their future health.

New Leaf Massage Therapy is now open at 808 S. Main St., Suite 5. Licensed massage therapist Nicholas Matzenbacher offers Swedish/Relaxation Massage, Therapeutic/Deep Tissue Massage, Aromatherapy Massage & Pre-Natal Massage. Connie VanTassel offers facials and waxing.

To make appointments for any of these services, call New Leaf at (618) 281-8669.

Main Street Dining Expands With Opening of New Restaurant

Columbia's dining opportunities will expand next month with the opening of Reifschneider's Grill & Grape at 608 N. Main St., next to the ever-popular Tiny's Pub & Grill.  Along with perennial favorite Gruchala's, regionally cited Joe Boccardi's Ristorante and family favorite The Lantern Restaurant, Reifschneider's will help to reorient Main Street as a destination in what many are hoping is the start of a retail resurgence.

The new restaurant will be operated by Danny & Heather Reifschneider in a building leased from Gregg Crawford and with financial assistance from the City of Columbia's revolving loan fund.  Heather--also the proprietor of Vida Verde Salon & Boutique, elsewhere on Main Street--grew up in the food service industry; her father owns Miller's Crossing in Chesterfield.  Reifschneider's will pattern its service, quality and menu after Miller's Crossing with prices that meet the expectations of Metro East customers.

Renovation for the restaurant is being completed on the former Main Street Bar & Grill to provide inside seating for 60 patrons (plus additional seating at the bar) and to create new outdoor seating accommodations for as many as 76 customers.

Welcome, Sandra's Art Depo!

Columbia's Main Street community is working to develop--through venues like the annual Art Walk event--an image as a local center for the arts.  A new business hopes to embellish that image: Sandra's Art Depo.

Located in the building owned by Tammy Mitchell Hines on N. Main St., the business officially opened yesterday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by the Columbia Chamber.  Owner Sandra Reynolds traded in her career in sales after 30 years for a paint brush and the opportunity to help other artists discover their own talents.

Sandra's Art Depo specializes in decorative art in various mediums, lessons for adults and children, and art sales for home and office--the gallery features a selection of art from various artists in the metro area.  Call Sandra at (618) 281-2060 or register online for lessons.  She says: "Join a class, learn to paint, and see the world in a new way."


Pictured above: Tim Gutknecht (Columbia Rotary Club); Alderman Jim Agne; City Administrator Al Hudzik; "Hutch" Schlafly (Chamber President); Sandra Reynolds; Marsha Han (Roosters Health Food); Bill Meyer (First National Bank of Waterloo); and Sarah Arendell (Edward Jones).

Monroe County Can Build On Its Assets to Create Jobs, Schultz Says

Monroe County has many community assets in which it can take pride--now it's time to capitalize on those assets.  Such was the message delivered this morning by small town economic development guru Jack Schultz to a packed assembly of local business and community leaders.

During the course of his talk, Schultz highlighted Monroe County's "great prospects"--citing the second lowest poverty rate in the State of Illinois, its generally clean and prosperous appearance, and quaint Main Streets in Columbia and Waterloo--against the reality that 9,000 residents (62%) drive out of county every day to work, one of the highest rates anywhere. Creating more businesses and more jobs to keep those commuters closer to home "isn't just an opportunity for business growth and increased tax revenues," Schultz observed, "but it's also an opportunity to get more people involved in Little League, schools and other community activities."

His challenge to those assembled was to take the same kind of vision that drove relocation of the Village of Valmeyer following catastrophic floods in 1993 and to apply that kind of thinking to other economic developoment initiatives.  Schultz's talking points were supported with success stories he has culled from small towns across America from Leavenworth, WA to Lebanon, NH.

Schultz, the award-winning author of Boomtown USA: The 7-1/2 Keys to Big Success in Small Towns, was the keynote speaker for a forum organized by the Monroe County Economic Development Council.  The Council has also formed a LinkedIn group ("Know Jack") to keep up discussion around the strategies Schultz shared today.

Small Town Guru Jack Schultz to Visit Columbia February 8th

Jack Schultz, nationally acclaimed author of Boomtown USA: The 7 ½ Keys to Big Success in Small Towns, will be the keynote speaker at a special forum for the Monroe County Economic Development Council (MCEDC) on Monday, February 8th at The Falls Reception and Conference Center in Columbia.

The forum is sponsored by Midland States Bank. Doors will open at 7:00 a.m. and the event will conclude around 9:00 a.m.

Schultz, founder and CEO of Agracel, Inc., an industrial development firm specializing in rural America, is a top economic development authority on small towns just like those in Monroe County. His book has already inspired many communities to find their own vision.

The Boomtown USA project took more than three years of research beginning with 15,800 small towns across the country. Schultz narrowed the list down to a group of 397 outstanding small towns he calls "agurbs"--communities that were growing and offering opportunities to their young people while others were turning into ghost towns. His research has been featured in USA Today, Forbes and BusinessWeek (among others), and he has been a guest on numerous radio and television programs including Bloomberg Business Television.

Schultz has taken his message on the road to more than 300 communities in 44 states since 2004. In 2005, Schultz was named Ernst & Young’s Illinois Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2006 he received the Beta Gamma Sigma Medallion for Entrepreneurship.

His company, Agracel, has completed projects in 14 states, owning seven million square feet of industrial space, which has facilitated more than 5,000 jobs. The company owns 15 business parks and a short line railroad.

At the upcoming Monroe County forum, Schultz will talk about the characteristics of towns that are successful as well as the importance of encouraging an entrepreneurial approach in the community. He will also share reasons why it is vital to support local businesses and ideas about how small towns can survive and thrive during hard economic times.

Attendees can register for the event by going to the U of I Extension-Monroe County website, via email or by calling 618-939-3434.

Coleman Memorial Plans--and Funding--Are Progressing

Slightly more than six months after the murders of Sheri Coleman and her two sons, plans are progressing to create a lasting memorial to the victims in one of Columbia's parks.

Yesterday evening, Meegan Turnbeaugh--one of Sheri Coleman's best friends--met with the City's Play Commission to update them on her progress to date in planning and funding a memorial pavilion.  Meegan has formed a not-for-profit organization called SheriAnnHerBoys which has raised $30,000 to date, she reported; while the project's ultimate goal is $300,000, she hopes the memorial really won't cost that much--especially since she's heard from companies offering free materials and labor.

With the help of architect Killian Smith of St. Louis, Meegan's group has developed plans for a 51-foot pavilion that they are proposing to erect in Columbia's Bolm-Schuhkraft Park, a favorite gathering place for the Colemans.  As plans for the memorial progress, Meegan promised to work with the City to settle on a specific site within the 44.5-acre park.

Click here to read the report on the meeting filed by KMOV-TV in St. Louis.

Segobiano is New Schools Head

The Columbia Unit School District has hired Gina Segobiano of Belleville as its new superintendent.  She is currently superintendent of Harmony Emge School District #175, which serves approximately 800 students ranging from preschool through eighth grade.

Segobiano's education background includes a bachelor of science degree in elementary education from Western Illinois University, a master's degree in school administration from Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville, and a doctoral degree from St. Louis University. She worked six years as a fifth grade teacher at Signal Hill School District #181, then served as Signal Hill's principal for ten years before becoming that district's superintendent for three years. Segobiano came to her current position at the beginning of the 2006-2007 school year.

Segobiano will be replacing Ed Settles, who has accepted the positon as superintendent of Jersey Community Unit School District #100, effective July 1st.  Segobiano is married, and her husband is an Edward Jones investment representative. They have two children: Kelli and Scott. Kelli attends the University of Illinois and Scott attends Belleville West High School.

Making a List, Checking It Twice...

One of the basic tenets of economic gardening--any well-planned economic development program, in fact--is that growth should arise from nurturing of enterprises already growing in the local environment. Columbia is well-positioned for such growth not just because of its many small firms but because of some of its larger companies, as well.

Inc. Magazine recently released its tally of the 5000 fastest-growing companies; two are in Columbia (Illinois, including Chicago and its suburbs, only has 224): MAVERICK Technologies and Traube Tent Company.

The Inc. 5005000 (as the tally is called) is ranked according to percentage revenue growth from 2005 through 2008. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by the first week of 2005, and therefore able to show four full calendar years of sales. Additionally, they have to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent--not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies--as of December 31, 2008. Full-time and part-time employees are included in the head count; independent contractors and temporary employees are excluded.

Flood Prevention Council Staffs Up, But Faces Funding Challenge

The recently formed Southwestern Illinois Flood Prevention District Council has hired Lester Sterman, the long-time executive director of the East-West Gateway Council of Governments, to serve as its chief supervisor of construction and works. While the addition of this veteran administrator increases the Council's odds for success, the effort faces huge financial challenges.

About 35 percent of the funding for the levee repairs was expected to come from the new quarter-cent sales tax that has been being collected in Madison, St. Clair, and Monroe counties since January 1st. The rest--about 65 percent--was expected to come from the federal government; unfortunately, the economic recession has hurt collection of the new sales tax revenues, while reports indicate an unwillingness for the federal government to provide its anticipated share.

Jim Pennekamp, special assistant to Southern Illinois University Edwardsville's chancellor for regional economic development and executive director of University Park as well as chairman of the Madison County Flood Prevention District, serves as president for the Council. Dan Maher, director of administration for St. Clair County and chair of the St. Clair County Flood Prevention District, serves as vice president of the Council. John Conrad, editor and publisher of the Monroe County Independent and chair of the Monroe County Flood Prevention District, serves as secretary/treasurer. Two additional commissioners from each county round out the nine-member Council.

In the Company of Bloggers

This weekend, Columbia's Director of Community & Economic Development, Paul Ellis, will be travelling to Chicago for the 2009 National Main Street Conference, where he'll be part of a group presentation entitled: "Blogging, Multi-media & Bunnies: Three Things You Need Not Fear."

His co-presenters are Rob Voigt, author of Civic Blogger, and Cac Kamak, a planner with the City of Oak Harbor. The National Main Street Center is making a big push this year to demonstrate the value of social media as marketing and communications venues for revitalization efforts in smaller communities. As the practitioner in the group (although Columbia's Main Street program is only Introductory as yet), Paul will relate experience with blogging in Tacoma, Washington and, subsequently, deploying three blogs in Columbia.

This is not his first experience covering this ground at a national conference. In 2007, Paul presented at the annual conference for the International Downtown Association (IDA). That group is where the larger metropolitan districts get together to compare notes, while the current conference is the national gathering for smaller cities, towns and villages.

One very cool element of this conference is the live conference blog that Rob and Cac have set up. Main Street participants from around the country can catch the conference via this venue from the comfort of their storefronts--even their homes!

Hail to the Chief!

Columbia Police Chief Joe Edwards was installed last evening as head volunteer for the Southern Illinois Police Chiefs Association during a gala event (co-sponsored with the Southwestern Illinois Law Enforcement Commission) at The Falls Reception and Conference Center.

Team Specialist Josh Bayer of the Columbia Police Department was also honored at the annual awards banquet.

Carnegie President Urges More Citizens to Volunteer

Warning against the loss of the sense of community in modern American life, Vartan Gregorian of the Carnegie Corporation of New York this past week has issued a call for citizens to work more closely together for broad societal benefits.

Gregorian, co-chair of last week's ServiceNation Summit, is urging Americans to "join their personal aspirations for the future with their hopes for the collective progress of the nation." In an essay soon to be published in Time magazine, Gregorian argues that Americans have carried "individualism" to a new level of idolatry.

"While instantaneous communication and online technologies seem to connect us," he writes, "they also allow us to report on the minutiae of our daily lives and contribute to a cult of the individual. But in elevating the individual to center stage, we are quickly losing the sense of the larger community that draws us out of ourselves and our isolated circles and into the wider society."

Recognizing the strength and number of our voluntary associations as the expression of the collective American nature goes back to Alexis de Tocqueville. Today, Gregorian calls for ways to provide new and more varied opportunities and incentives for people to volunteer their time. He also identifies a need to decrease duplication through cooperative efforts and collaborative projects that allow for more effective targeting of available resources while freeing up financial and human resources for equally critical needs.

Calling commitment to volunteer effort "one of the greatest antidotes we have to pessimism about our collective future," Gregorian writes that "there is nothing cynical or shallow about offering to lend a hand...[i]ndeed, doing so is the opposite of so many of the ills that too often these days characterize our society."

Pouring Money Into a Hole in the Ground

Yesterday, members of the Columbia Rotary Club and guests toured the Rock City complex under development beneath the limestone bluffs in Valmeyer. Facility developer Joe Koppeis, the owner of Columbia's Market Place supermarket and Admiral Parkway Inc., conducted the tour. Attendees agreed that this is one project where the phrase "pouring money into a hole in the ground" is accurately descriptive rather than pejorative.

Koppeis' project is huge, one of the largest enterprises ever undertaken on this side of the Mississippi, yet it has progressed largely out of mind because it is out of sight. Rock City's cave network--carved out of the bluffs using a former Monroe County lime quarry as the starting point--has the potential to expand to nearly 6 million square feet. The complex already houses the Mid America Refrigerated Warehouse, a 200,000 square-foot underground frozen food warehouse and office. The space in this portion of the complex is cooled in separate chambered rooms to range from 35 degrees above to 15 degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Mid America stores and ships products for Schwan’s, Nestle, Ralston, Prairie Farms, Kraft, the US Department of Agriculture, and Wal-Mart--just to name a few.

The latest and most visible addition to the complex is the $52-million project relocating the National Archives from their existing South St. Louis facility. The federal agency has leased almost 400,000 square feet for records storage, adjunct office space, furnishings and equipment. This space, when completed, will enclose thousands of metal shelves containing hundreds of thousands of boxes holding paper records--a file collection reminiscent of the closing scene in the X-Files movie.

Sinda Declines Administrator Post

Former Collinsville City Manager Hank Sinda won't serve as Columbia’s interim city administrator after all. A narrow majority of the City Council failed to approve the terms of his contract last Monday night.

Sinda, 66, of St. Charles, MO, was appointed earlier this month by Mayor Kevin Hutchinson to temporarily fill the position vacated by Anthony Traxler, who resigned effective August 6th. Sinda was to serve on a part-time basis until the fiscal year ends next April; Traxler’s salary is included in the budget until that date.

Should Columbia Embrace 'Opportunity Urbanism'?

Joel Kotkin, the influential author and Presidential Fellow in Urban Futures at Chapman University, has articulated a new vision of how urban economies should evolve that challenges the likes of Richard Florida. Kotkin calls his new notion "Opportunity Urbanism", a concept that stresses a region's ability to create jobs, offer affordable housing, and present entrepreneurial openings to a growing and highly diverse population as the surest signs of urban vibrancy. His emphais on a city's ability to provide opportunity for a broad spectrum of citizens rather than on the area's ability to attract the wealthiest individuals or the people with the highest skills is a strategy that may make more sense for the Midwest--and for Columbia in particular.

Kotkin argues that seeking ways to keep the doors of opportunity and homeownership open to the working and middle classes is better economics and more in keeping with American values than what he percives to be the preoccupation of "superstar" cities to boost their attractiveness to elites. He argues that "one of the primary historic roles of cities has been to nurture and grow a middle class--to be an engine of upward social mobility."

Sinda Hired as Interim Administrator

Following the resignation of Anthony Traxler weeks ago, the Columbia City Council in executive session last week approved hiring Henry "Hank" Sinda as interim city administrator. The 66-year-old former Collinsville city manager, a resident of St. Charles, MO, will fill the position on a part-time basis until April.

Sinda has a long record of public service working for cities across the Midwest; he currently is the principal in Sinda & Associates, Inc. He has taught public administration classes at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and has worked to promote professional city management in the Metro East. The Illinois City/County Management Association recognized Sinda in 2005 for his instrumental role in forming the Southwest Illinois City Management Association (SWICMA), an organization formed to provide information sharing and networking opportunities on municipal issues, to improve City services and strengthen professional management.