Chamber Updates

Ready, Fire, Aim Planning can often be a frustrating and time-consuming process that feels unnecessary or of low priority. For some leaders when you already have an end goal or desired outcome in mind, taking time to work on the idea with your team or partners can seem unimportant. If your goal is to hit…

Student Perspectives and a Welcoming Community Last Friday, the Cape Chamber hosted a panel of students at or near the end of their academic careers here at SEMO and Mineral Area College. The goal of the conversation was to learn more about what attracted them to the area, how they were engaged, and what strategies…

New FTC Rule on Non-Compete will be challenged Last Tuesday, in a 3 -2 vote, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued the Non-Compete Clause Rule (“the final rule”), that would effectively eliminate millions of business agreements currently in place, pending litigation fighting against the rule. In its rule release issued April 23, the FTC stated, “The final…

Codefi Launches Innovate SOMO Funds Codefi, a leading venture and tech-based development organization based in Cape Girardeau announced last week a pioneering new hybrid venture capital model that will blends seed funding and venture philanthropy to support startup growth across Southern Missouri. Innovate SOMO Funds are the latest in a series of developments led by…

Business Development is Strong in Southeast Missouri The start of April brought with it the opening of the newest hotel property in Cape Girardeau, the Riverview Hotel at the Century Casino. This is just one of several large commercial investments underway in the region that will help improve the overall quality of life and add…

Economic Impact from Eclipse Tourism It’s finally here! Eclipse day 2024 and with-it thousands of umbraphiles, or eclipse chasers will descend on the Southeast Missouri region. While I am sure some of the locals will be grumbling about traffic and crowded restaurants, the economic benefit to our area businesses and the communities overall will be…

Business Messaging and April Fool’s Day April Fool’s Day is the one day per year that businesses and brands can have a little fun and engage their customers in a fun and joking way. With a well thought out joke and gag businesses can get instant recognition and positive engagement, but it’s important to think…

2023 Population Estimates show nominal growth On March 14, the U.S. census office released updated county population estimates as of July 1, 2023. For Missouri, as well as our region, population estimates were relatively flat for this year. The Census Bureau’s Population Estimates Program (PEP) produces estimates of the population for the United States, its…

Saving Daylight Sunday morning at two am we officially moved to “Daylight Savings” as clocks were moved forward one hour. This annual event that first started in Germany in 1916 and began in the U.S. on March 19, 1918 often leads to groggy mornings, tired employees and according to research done at the University of…

Revised 2023 Jobs Data shows some positive trends Last week, the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) released the January 2024 jobs report for the state and with-it annual revisions to 2023 estimates. There were some positive trends to watch in our region. Each month, labor data is reported at both a national level…