Other Views: Missouri needs educational reform now
The state legislature is currently considering school reform issues such as open enrollment and the expansion of charter schools. Performance pay, or merit pay as it is sometimes called, is in the mix, as well. Missouri is behind many of our neighboring states when it comes to implementing school reform. I could list the statistics […]
Odles aim to set high building standard
Brothers Nathan and Jon Odle, the principals of Trittenbach Development, are best known for their medical office buildings in Columbia, but they’ve wanted to build a mixed-use structure downtown for years. Their goal: to elevate building standards as well the city center’s skyline.
Entrepreneurial Excellence Week begins Monday
A big part of this year’s Columbia Business Times Entrepreneurial Excellence Week is a series of free educational opportunities for anyone interested in improving how they do business (marketing, leadership, finances). The focus is providing useful, hands-on lessons that can be put to work right away, for organizations of any kind. For the program schedule […]
Columbia Chamber urges passage of Missouri capital-improvement bonds
The Columbia Chamber of Commerce has issued a call for business people to advocate for a proposed $800 million bond issue for capital projects throughout the state. The legislation has passed the Missouri House and is now in the hands of the Missouri Senate. Columbia Sen. Kurt Schaefer and Columbia Rep. Chris Kelly are among […]
County considering economic development sales tax
The Boone County Commission is considering the merits of a possible sales tax dedicated to economic development. The Columbia Chamber of Commerce asked the Boone County Commission earlier this month to consider the idea of asking voters to approve a new sales tax to pay for economic development initiatives such as shovel-ready sites, job training […]
TDDs concentrate taxing power in the hands of few
Also by Jacob Barker A quick glance at the boards of directors of five transportation development districts in Columbia shows the same names over and over again. Hiram Watson, Jack Maher, John Hancock, Michael Link, Marc Kirchoff and Otto Maly. All these real estate agents serve on the boards of TDDs that encompass property owned […]
New home construction stalls, stock shrinking
The recession has hit the market for newly constructed homes in Columbia harder than the market for existing homes. A builder, after all, doesn’t have the option of taking a home off the market if nothing’s selling. “At some point, business decisions come into play, and they start discounting homes just to get rid of […]
Reactor project revival possible
Key members of the Missouri House and Senate believe AmerenUE could try next year to repeal a law blocking its plan to build a second nuclear power plant in Callaway County. AmerenUE suspended the project after it became clear that the Senate would not be repealing the Construction Work in Progress law during the session […]
TDDs tap sales tax, bypass voters, city
Also by Jacob Barker Almost every month, a handful of influential business leaders gather in City Hall for a public meeting. The subject: transportation projects around most of Columbia’s largest shopping centers that are paid for by a special sales tax. Typically, though, the public is absent from these meetings of Transportation Development District boards. […]
In a pinch? Diamond Banc serves the suddenly not so well-off
As the nation’s bear market affects more affluent people, Diamond Bank offers people averse to pawnshops a more discrete way to obtain cash or loans secured with precious metal or diamonds, including those with upper-crust carats. “We’re looking for nice, major diamonds, half carat or larger, and also to buy gold, platinum, silver or high-end […]
Key players in development process find common ground
When Bob Pugh was elected Columbia’s mayor in 1975, one of his first acts was an overture toward his chief adversary, Clyde Wilson, who was representing the Sixth Ward on the City Council at the time and was elected mayor four years later.
There’s no place like home
Ben and Kendy Berislavich thought they’d done everything right when they paid for a pre-purchase inspection of the central Missouri home they bought several months before the birth of their second child. It wasn’t until several excruciating weeks after little Jenna Berislavich was born in August that Ben and Kendy discovered the cause of her […]