e Life of Sharp End
A history of cherished memories — and lingering wounds. PG 26
Do you ever wonder “Why am I even with this bank?”
It’s too easy to accept a mediocre experience when banking is just a part of life. Before, it seemed like I had to jump through every hoop for my bank. I wanted a bank that would actually work for me. Look, switching banks is a big decision. I never made the e ort before, because I assumed I’d just get the same thing. After switching to The Bank of Missouri, I’ll never wonder if my bank can do more.
The bank of not settling. The Bank of Missouri. Switch to better.
ADVERTISER INDEX
PUBLISHING
David Nivens, Publisher david@comocompanies.com
Chris Harrison, Associate Publisher chris@comocompanies.com
EDITORIAL
Jodie Jackson Jr, Editor jodie@comocompanies.com
Kelsey Winkeljohn, Associate Editor kelsey@comocompanies.com
Karen Pasley, Contributing Copyeditor
DESIGN
Jordan Watts, Senior Designer jordan@comocompanies.com
MARKETING
Charles Bruce, Director of Client Relations charles@comocompanies.com
Kerrie Bloss, Account Executive kerrie@comocompanies.com
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Barbra Horrell, Jodie Jackson Jr, Anthony Jinson, Regional Economic Development Inc., State Historical Society of Missouri
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Jodie Jackson Jr, Rudi Keller, Brandon Knight, Matt McCormick, David Nivens, Steve Spellman, McKenna Stumph, Brian Toohey
SUBSCRIPTIONS
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COMO Business Times and comobusinesstimes.com strive to be Columbia’s leading source for timely and comprehensive news coverage of the local business community. is publication is dedicated to being the most relevant and useful vehicle for the exchange of information and ideas among Columbia’s business professionals.
Copyright e COMO Companies, 2025
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As we savored our amazing six-inch personal pizzas at the best pizza joint in town — Tony’s Pizza Palace at 17 N. Fifth St. — one coworker pointed out the window across the street. “So that’s The Sharp End?” she asked.
In 2025 Columbia, the building tucked beneath Garagezilla — the Sixth and Walnut parking garage — is The Shops at Sharp End. But seventy years ago, both sides of Walnut between Fifth and Sixth streets was Sharp End, a thriving commercial, social, and retail hub that gave life to as many as twenty-six Black-owned businesses. It was the cornerstone of life for Columbia’s Black community.
Now? The Shops at Sharp End is a retail and minority business incubator, opened in January 2024, a collaboration among the Downtown Community Improvement District, Regional Economic Development Inc., and Central Missouri Community Action (with expertise from CMCA’s Missouri Women’s Business Center).
What happened to Sharp End? And is the Sharp End’s rich history, and the tragedy of “urban renewal” that basically erased that business district, on the cusp of being forgotten? When I mentioned this story idea to Rudi Keller — because he is the only reporter/writer actually qualified to write the story — he was intrigued and eager to dive back into that history, which yielded an entire special section of the Columbia Daily Tribune when we were colleagues there in 2015. Rudi researched and wrote every word of every story in that important historical publication.
His updated work on the Sharp End is included in the pages of this issue of COMO Business Times. We strive to produce stories that are meaningful and enlightening, if not relatable and experiential, so it’s probably not wise to elevate any story to a stratospheric level above others. But that’s exactly where Rudi’s story is. This may be one of the most meaningful articles you will have read in months or years.
This may be one of the most meaningful articles you will have read in months or years.
I could gush and fawn all day over how Rudi is the most accomplished and brilliant reporter/writer I’ve known. We have other writers and stories in these issues that also command your full attention. Michelle Terhune took on the unenviable task of untangling and telling the stories of how Columbia’s electric grid, sewer utility, and water utility have had stalled expansion and upgrade projects — for almost twenty years for the electric system — despite voter approval to fund some of those projects.
Kudos to Michelle for creating compelling text from the complex kerfuffle for COMO Magazine. Her exceptional work reveals as many questions as answers, but it’s a road map to knowing what has happened and what the next steps are. Another heavy lift of a story was achieved by McKenna Stumph for explaining what downtown commercial and retail vacancy rates means for downtown. McKenna expanded her reporting chops with this story.
I also want to give a shout out to Diana Borsi O’Brien, the author of “Historic Movie Theaters of Columbia,” for her feature on downtown’s oldest buildings. Diana is a recent friend who I wish had been a friend for sixty years. We’re sort of peas in a pod; that is, if the pod is history and wordsmithing and the fascinating nature of human nature.
Like Rudi, this is Diana’s first byline in this publication with me as the editor. There shouldn’t be a universe where that
constellation occurs. I am in awe of them as writers and as people. Finally, be sure to check out the local karaoke scene with language-loving Associate Editor Kelsey Winkeljohn, learn the storied history of The Armory with Emmi Weiner, and get a taste of downtown’s more nutritional dishes with Natasha Myrick. What I’m trying to tell you is that the May issues of COMO Magazine and COMO Business Times are well worth your time to read, read again, and then pass along for others to glean the many treasures for others to discover in our “Downtown” issue.
JODIE JACKSON JR EDITOR jodie@comocompanies.com
by Anthony Jinson
Photo
CBT’s Advisory Board
Thank you to the Columbia Board of Realtors for hosting our quarterly advisory board meeting! CBT’s advisory board is made up of industry leaders and small business owners who help ensure CBT’s content is relevant to our local business community.
Shawn
Step Into Our Vibrant Downtown’s History and Creativity
As we step into the vibrant month of May, our focus turns to the dynamic core of our city — Downtown Columbia. This edition of COMO Magazine and COMO Business Times is dedicated to celebrating the energy, history, and innovation that define our downtown area.
Downtown Columbia is more than just a location; it’s a living, breathing entity that embodies the spirit of our community. From the historic streets of the Sharp End district, rich with African American heritage as well as lingering wounds of the past that are still visible today, to the bustling avenues lined with local businesses, art galleries, and eateries, downtown serves as a testament to our city’s resilience and creativity.
In many ways, some of these stories set the stage for our August issues, which follow a “Legacy” theme. Not all legacies are positive, as we discover with each new layer we explore throughout Columbia’s social and economic fabric, whether downtown or in other business districts in our fine city.
In this issue, we explore the stories that make downtown Columbia unique. We delve into the initiatives aimed at revitalizing our urban center, spotlight the entrepreneurs who are shaping its future, and revisit the cultural landmarks that have stood the test of time. Our goal is to provide you with a comprehensive look at how downtown continues to evolve while honoring its storied past.
If you find yourself wondering about the stories of the history — which buildings are oldest, for instance, and what business names they held — you’ll discover some of those answers in these pages.
We invite you to immerse yourself in the narratives that capture the essence of our downtown. Whether you’re a lifelong resident or a newcomer, there’s always something new to discover — or to Rediscover — in the heart of Columbia.
DAVID NIVENS PUBLISHER david@comocompanies.com
From the historic streets of the Sharp End district, rich with African American heritage as well as lingering wounds of the past that are still visible today, to the bustling avenues lined with local businesses, art galleries, and eateries, downtown serves as a testament to our city’s resilience and creativity.
University Hospital PET CT Rooms
Closer Look
FLAVOR & COMFORT
If you’re looking to shake up your palate with some new avors to try, Flavor & Comfort might be your new go-to spot. (Well, it doesn’t actually have a spot. Yet.) Chad Jones-Hicks and Jennifer Coleman opened for business at the beginning of 2025. Flavor & Comfort works out of CoMo Cooks shared kitchen, which a ords them the ability to host pop-ups, catering services, and meal-prepping services.
“By contributing to the local food scene, collaborating with other businesses, and supporting community events, we help foster growth and inspire others to pursue their passions,” Jones-Hicks said.
In high school, Jones-Hicks had the opportunity to take three years of culinary classes taught by local Chef Brooke Harlan. However, he’s been self-taught since, thanks to the Food Network. He takes inspiration from Chef Bobby Flay’s unique techniques and style of cooking.
“Watching chefs in action pushes me to experiment in the kitchen, constantly re ning my skills and nding new ways to elevate my food,” Jones-Hicks explained.
Jones-Hicks says he’s most known for his wings and gumbo, and he hopes to take home the title for the best wings in Columbia. Most of all, though, he hopes to bring people together through comfort food, connection, and avorful dishes.
“At the heart of it all, we’re not just feeding people. We’re building experiences, sparking conversations, and making our mark on the local food scene,” he said.
(573) 283-8639 | flavorcomfort573.com | @flavorcomfort573
FAST AND THE FUZZIEST
After several years of clients asking about the possibility of a mobile grooming business, Melissa Patterson decided to start Fast and the Fuzziest. She found a need in the Columbia market and decided to take the leap, opening in January 2024.
“We’ve had a few [mobile groomers] over the years, but they have moved onto other things, or they are fully booked for several years,” Patterson said.
Many of her clients have known Patterson through 4-H Club experiences. at’s where she learned to love animals and learned about the anatomy of sheep. During that time, she showed goats at the county fair livestock competitions and won several awards.
“I’m a country girl at heart,” she said, noting that she currently owns ducks, goats, and chickens.
Patterson said she takes a di erent approach than one you would nd at a typical grooming shop. She likes to take her time so that her clients and their dogs don’t feel rushed. Her mobile setup is ideal for achieving that goal. Patterson can care for her dogs one-on-one without the possible distractions of other dogs or loud noises in the background.
“I treat each and every dog like they were my own. ey receive lots of love and attention,” she said.
Call or text: 573-239-7894 | Facebook: Fast and the Fuzziest CBT
Movers & Shakers
SARAH SICHT
Sarah Sicht has been selected to be the principal at Eagle Bluffs Elementary School. She is currently the principal at Benton STEM Elementary School. Eagle Bluffs Elementary School, located next to John Warner Middle School, is currently under construction and will open in 2026. Sicht will begin her role next school year, giving her time to hire staff and help oversee the opening of the new school in the fall of 2026. She has twentyfive years of experience in Columbia Public Schools as a teacher, assessment coach, mentor, and administrator.
MIKE BURDEN
Mike Burden is the new CEO of Local Motion. As a daily bicycle commuter, he has a record of professional and volunteer leadership and deep connections to Columbia. He will lead Local Motion’s mission of providing walking, biking, and transit solutions to meet people’s everyday transportation needs. He has taught at Hickman High School and Columbia Independent School.
CENTRAL BANK OF BOONE COUNTY
Central Bank of Boone County has named Ryan Bross senior lending officer for Central Bank of Boone County, Central Bank of
Audrain County, and Central Bank of Moberly. Bross will oversee the lending operation of the banks and work to establish strong financial relationships with businesses and consumers. Bross graduated from the University of Missouri with a degree in business management and worked his way up in banking from a personal banker to a credit analyst to a commercial lender.
Angela Gentry is now the executive vice president of consumer banking for Central Bank of Boone County, Central Bank of Audrain County, and Central Bank of Moberly. Gentry will oversee the overall operation of services dedicated to consumers, including the branch network. She is a board member of True North and leads the Men as Allies committee. She is also board treasurer for Women’s Intersport Network and serves on the board of the Columbia Police Foundation.
JORDAN HERETH
Jordan Hereth, principal at Hereth Insurance Consulting, announces the purchase of two local insurance agencies: Concord Alliance and Mid America Specialty (Columbia). Hereth CLCS specializes in commercial and residential insurance lines, and with these purchases continues to grow the mid-Missouri market.
CITY OF COLUMBIA
The city of Columbia has named D’Markus ThomasBrown as the Office of Violence Prevention administrator, the first to hold the position in the new office. He began the role March 31. Thomas-Brown has worked as the regional director of Good Dads Inc. since 2024. Before that, he served as managing director of in2Action, program director for the Reentry Opportunity Center (ROC), and account strategist for Influence & Co. The Office of Violence Prevention collaborates with local law enforcement, community organizations, government agencies, and key community members to develop strategies that reduce violence and improve public safety.
Jake Amelunke has been named the Housing Programs manager with the city’s Housing and Neighborhood Services department. Amelunke has been with the city’s Housing Programs division since 2015, serving as a housing programs specialist and as the housing development coordinator. The Housing Programs division develops citywide plans and goals for the implementation of federal and local resources dedicated to meeting affordable housing and community development needs. CBT
Are you or your employees moving up in the Columbia business community? Send us your news at jodie@comocompanies.com
SICHT
BROSS
THOMASBROWN
BURDEN
HERETH
GENTRY
Is Downtown COMO Shrinking?
Retail and office growth puts a premium on available space to lease.
BY M C KENNA STUMPH
LEASING RETAIL AND OFFICE SPACE in Columbia’s downtown is a double-edged sword. e prices are comparable to St. Louis and Kansas City’s downtown rates. For the building owners, that’s a good thing, and it re ects a high demand for downtown space. But that also creates hefty challenges for some small businesses.
“We love small businesses,” said Nickie Davis, executive director of the Downtown Community Improvement District (CID). “It’s great that we are sought after and can ll those vacancies, but it brings a di erent type of business sometimes.”
NICKIE DAVIS Executive Director, Downtown Community Improvement District
GRELLNER Vice President, Plaza Commercial Realty
Photo by Michael Gattorna via Pexels
MIKE
In 2016, the CID reported commercial vacancies at 1.78 percent, down a bit from 2.79 percent in 2017. In 2025, the downtown vacancy rate has climbed to 4.65 percent. As a rule of thumb, if a downtown’s vacancy rate is below 10 percent, that means it’s time to start building new space, said Mike Grellner, vice president of Plaza Commercial Realty.
“ at’s when they say when the market’s in great shape, we need to build some new space,” Grellner explained. “We’re less than half of [10 percent vacancy], so back in 2016, 2 percent was absolutely silly.”
Hemp Hemp Hooray, a longstanding shop on Broadway, is one example.
“Everybody loved it,” Davis said. “ ere were changes to state governance that they couldn’t sell certain types of products, which hindered their sales. So, they chose to leave.”
Even though the commercial space report shows the vacancy rates at an alltime low in 2016, the rates have leveled out through 2018 and 2022 at roughly 4.5 percent. Grellner attributed some of the spikes and dips in downtown vacancy rates to the Columbia Daily Tribune closing its o ce, and the following year,
Fringe Western Wear relocated to 3310 Vandiver Drive in 2021 in order to expand, four years after opening shop as Fringe Boutique in the 2,600-square-foot retail space at 914 E. Broadway. e boutique specialized in women’s apparel and boots, evolving into a new name and some 13,000 square feet of retail space with new lines of men’s and children’s apparel, too.
Online leasing sources indicate the monthly lease at 914 E. Broadway is $4,522.
“We originally opened downtown for foot tra c and college students, which was a good start for the business,” said co-owner Charlotte Smarr. But with the demand for more lines of clothing, the decision was made to move the business.
“ We need to build some new
”
space.
One factor that played a signi cant role in retail and o ce vacancy rates was the University of Missouri joining the Southeastern Conference (SEC) at the start of the 2012-2013 academic year.
“We had a huge spike in interest in our marketplace, especially downtown near campus, from new businesses out of the south and new development projects that tore down some old buildings,” Grellner said. As a result, the vacancy rates for 2016 and 2017 were “kind of crazy,” he said.
e vacancy rates from 2018 to today are “sort of a normal baseline” for Columbia’s market, he added.
However, once boutiques and businesses have found space to lease downtown, they can be successful despite prices. Many businesses have called downtown home for decades or longer, and some have purchased their buildings. Others left downtown because they needed a larger space, or their business ran into regulatory or nancial snags.
Goodwill MERS leased that space at 101 N. Fourth St. to launch its Career Center.
Even more recently, EquipmentShare occupied the more than 12,000-squarefoot spot at 111 Orr Street until the company’s expanded quarters o Bull Run Drive were ready. at enormous space, which had also been a Wilson’s Fitness site, is currently vacant.
“It just takes one or two vacancies to cause that line to zigzag up and down half a percent or a percent,” Grellner said. “I would tell you that while it’s at an alltime high … that trend line is pretty much at. We’ve lost some o ce occupants downtown.”
Some law rms and architecture rms have decided to leave downtown, he said. Not long ago, attorneys preferred to be within walking distance of the Boone County Courthouse, but proximity to the courthouse is not as critical now, and parking is often an issue for downtown o ces and shops.
e downtown commercial lease market is also experiencing pressure from businesses seeking an urban setting. In some cases, if there isn’t adequate shop or parking space available, potential downtown businesses have located in the Arcade district, the Stockyards area, or the Brown Shoe Building o Wilkes Boulevard — instead of in the heart of downtown. e growth in and around downtown is fueled, in part, by the newer business districts that are lling the gap created by downtown’s lack of available space.
“We will see downtown get rede ned a little bit,” Grellner said. “We’ve seen a little bit of growth of the boundaries of downtown, and that, too, can lend itself to why the vacancy rate went up a little bit.” He pointed out that in addition to the growth of the Arcade District and surrounding areas, some o ces have moved from downtown just across Providence Road into newer o ce developments.
In addition to the downtown CID, the Business Loop CID is also generating a mixture of businesses along that stretch just north of downtown, prompted in part by Columbia’s growing urban core.
at’s a prime example of the double-edged sword of shop and o ce space availability.
“Our vacancy rates have just remained incredibly low compared to the national vacancy rates,” Grellner explained. “It is an indicator that our market is performing very well, but it’s a problem for business growth, for existing businesses, or for recruiting new businesses.” CBT
What Is Title Insurance, and Why Does My Mortgage Require It?
BY BRIAN TOOHEY
WHEN YOU BUY A HOME, re nance, or purchase any property with a mortgage, you will likely encounter several fees as part of the transaction. Some of these fees may include recording fees, settlement fees, and title insurance. While many fees on a settlement statement are straightforward, buyers often wonder about the necessity of the title insurance fee.
Title insurance is a policy that protects both buyers and mortgage lenders from potential nancial losses due to defects in a property’s title. Without this protection, homebuyers could face costly legal battles, unexpected nancial burdens, and even the loss of their property.
Title insurance’s primary bene t is protecting homeowners from ownership disputes, in addition to protecting a lender if there is a mortgage involved. Prior to a buyer closing on a home or mortgage, a title search is conducted to verify that the seller has the legal right to transfer ownership. However, title searches can miss items a ecting a property’s title, and past mistakes or fraudulent activities may surface after the purchase. Issues such as unknown heirs, forged documents, or undisclosed liens can arise, potentially challenging the buyer’s ownership. Title insurance provides coverage in such cases, ensuring that the homeowner retains legal rights to their property without facing nancial loss.
Additionally, title insurance o ers protection against hidden defects in public records. Even with thorough title searches, errors in legal documents, incorrect property descriptions, or misled deeds can create complications
in property ownership. For example, a mistake in a previous deed might give another party a claim to the property, or an unpaid tax lien could result in legal action against the new owner. Title insurance protects homeowners against such issues, and the insurance company will cover the legal expenses necessary to resolve any disputes.
Another signi cant bene t of title insurance is its role in protecting mortgage lenders. Lenders require title insurance to secure their nancial interests when issuing a mortgage loan. A lender’s title insurance policy protects the nancial institution from losses if a title dispute arises, reducing the risk of lending money for real estate transactions. As a result of this requirement, homeowners indirectly bene t, as it helps streamline the homebuying process.
With lenders con dent in the property’s title, buyers can secure loans more e ciently and avoid potential obstacles in closing their transactions. If a home
buyer purchases with cash, title insurance isn’t required, but a buyer is taking a huge risk without a title insurance policy.
Title insurance is a crucial safeguard for homeowners and their lenders, protecting against ownership disputes, hidden defects, and nancial risks. It’s also a minimal cost to protect a considerable investment. Title fraud is becoming more common as scammers try to obtain fraudulent mortgages in a homeowner’s name, forge deeds to sell vacant properties or land, and fake claims of ownership when it comes time to sell a home.
Title insurance ensures buyers can con dently invest in real estate without fear of unexpected claims or legal battles. As real estate transactions continue to become more complex, title insurance remains an essential tool in securing property rights and providing longterm security. Investing in title insurance is wise for any homebuyer looking to protect their most valuable asset, providing peace of mind to a new owner. CBT
Brian Toohey is the Chief Executive Officer for the Columbia Board of REALTORS®.
Supporting Small Business: Investing in Our Community
BY MATT M C CORMICK
SMALL BUSINESSES ARE THE HEART of our community, bringing unique products, personalized services, and economic vitality to our local economy. When we choose to support small businesses, we do more than make a purchase — we invest in our neighbors, create jobs, and keep our hardearned dollars circulating right here at home. e Columbia Chamber of Commerce recognizes the crucial role small businesses play in our community and proudly celebrates their contributions each year during Small Business Week.
HOW SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESS STRENGTHENS OUR COMMUNITY
For every dollar spent at a locally owned business, a signi cant portion stays within the community, supporting jobs, funding public services, and fostering local economic growth. Small businesses often source from other local vendors, creating a ripple e ect that benets multiple sectors. ey also contribute to the unique character of our city, o ering diverse products, services, and experiences that set Columbia apart. In addition to their economic impact, small businesses are deeply invested in the well-being of the community. Many support local charities, sponsor youth sports teams, and participate in civic initiatives. By choosing to shop locally, we help sustain these businesses and, in turn, strengthen the fabric of our community.
CELEBRATING SMALL BUSINESS EXCELLENCE
Each year, the Columbia Chamber of Commerce highlights outstanding small businesses that exemplify dedication, innovation, and service through our Small Business of the Year awards. is year, we are proud to recognize four exceptional nalists who are making a di erence in Columbia and beyond.
Eclipse Catering and Events
Eclipse Catering and Events specializes in creating unforgettable culinary experiences with a commitment to exceptional service. eir attention to detail ensures that every event is transformed into a heartfelt celebration. By fostering meaningful connections through food, Eclipse brings people together, creating lasting memories around the table.
Taylor’s Commercial Grounds Maintenance
With over 95 years of combined experience, Taylor’s Commercial Grounds Maintenance enhances the rst impression of businesses by maintaining professional and beautiful outdoor spaces.
eir locally owned and operated company understands that a customer’s experience begins before they ever step inside, and they are dedicated to helping businesses in Columbia and the surrounding area present a polished exterior.
Show-Me Bar-B-Q
At Show-Me Bar-B-Q, tradition and quality take center stage. is family-owned
business is passionate about bringing people together through the love of authentic barbecue. Committed to consistency and handcrafted excellence, Show-Me Bar-B-Q stays true to its roots while embracing the moments that make barbecue special for customers near and far.
Manor Roofing and Restoration
Since 2006, Manor Roo ng and Restoration Services has been a trusted name in exterior remodeling, specializing in roo ng, siding, windows, decks, and more. eir commitment to craftsmanship and customer service has made them a leader in the industry. Beyond construction, Manor Roo ng actively gives back to the community through charitable initiatives and local involvement, demonstrating their dedication to both quality and service.
A COMMUNITY EFFORT
e success of small businesses relies on the support of the community. By choosing to shop local, dine at independent restaurants, and hire local service providers, we help ensure that Columbia remains a thriving, vibrant place to live and work. e Chamber is honored to recognize the incredible contributions of our small business community and encourages everyone to celebrate and support them year-round.
Together, we can continue to build a strong, connected, and prosperous Columbia — one local purchase at a time. CBT
Matt McCormick is the president and CEO of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.
PYSK
Paul Eisenstein
President, Regional Economic Development Incorporated (REDI)
Why you are passionate about your job: Economic development starts and ends at the local and regional level. I feel I have an opportunity to leverage my experience and relationships gained by working at the state level to help drive Columbia and Boone County’s economic growth. And REDI has a strong reputation; I’m excited to partner with committed stakeholders who make the region so vibrant. I’m also passionate about my job because Columbia has been home for my family since 2017. We have a stake in our community’s success.
If you weren’t doing this for a living, you would be ... Chasing snowstorms, probably in the lake-e ect snow belts of the Great Lakes area. I grew up wanting to be a meteorologist. But, alas, sunny days are a little boring for me!
property tax abatement that REDI plays a significant role in. What do you say to those who oppose such incentives? Communities in every state are ercely competing for jobs and investment. Incentives can be a critical tool to attract new employers or help existing employers retain and expand high-quality jobs for Columbia and Boone County residents. In Missouri and Boone County, the Chapter 100 process gives our community a shot at winning larger projects, where the jobs created bene t Boone County residents. e projects that utilize our local incentive program typically come with hundreds of living-wage jobs and signi cant capital investment, sometimes more than $100M. Boone County’s incentive approval process is known as one of Missouri’s most rigorous and allows all taxing entities a seat at the table.
Job description: As REDI’s president, I partner with our board, investors, clients, and sta to assist in fostering a vibrant business environment focused on creating quality job opportunities that support upward economic mobility for residents of Columbia and Boone County. REDI’s e orts support our strategic pillars of attracting new businesses, expanding existing businesses, and growing start-ups.
Professional background: I’ve spent the eight years prior to joining REDI at Missouri’s Department of Economic Development (DED) in a variety of leadership roles, from project managing our “Best in Midwest” initiative to spearheading our strategy development e orts to helping instill a values-driven culture. I treasured collaborating with committed, high-caliber leaders focused on driving Missouri’s business, community, and workforce development. Prior to DED, I spent time at a for-pro t start-up in Arizona and worked in St. Louis’s nonpro t sector before that.
Hometown: St. Louis. I spent my formative years, teens and 20s, in the St. Louis area.
Years lived in Columbia: 8
Tell us something that people might not understand about your job, or maybe about economic development in general: Economic development is a team sport. It’s everyone’s job. We count on our business leaders to build pro table companies that o er jobs. ese companies sell and buy products and services to and from other companies so they can grow. In turn, they invest and employ more people.
We need our elected leaders and government employees to make our community an e cient and predictable place to do business. But it goes far beyond that. Our schools, colleges, and universities are preparing the next generation for the workforce. Businesses also need reliable energy, sewer, water, internet, and transportation networks to conduct business. ey also need communities that are safe and lled with quality-of-life amenities like parks, enjoyable neighborhoods, and entertainment options. If you touch one of these areas, you’re an economic developer. Our job at REDI is to partner with and support you.
There’s a variety of opinions about offering incentives to attract new businesses or to expand existing businesses. Boone County can offer Chapter 100 bond financing for
The big challenges facing your industry: Infrastructure and workforce are big issues. We need to ensure that as Columbia/Boone County grows, there are development-ready sites with reliable infrastructure — these are industrial essentials like energy, water, and roads — available to continue to attract the types of employment opportunities and investment that the community desires.
We are also fortunate that Columbia and Boone County have growing populations and that our educational institutions prepare residents for in-demand jobs. We will need to leverage these strengths given the larger workforce aging trends and as companies continue to automate and update their technology and processes.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned in my field: Prepared communities win. ese communities look like overnight success stories, but it’s almost always because of stakeholders’ sustained e ort over many years. Columbia is one of those communities in our state. Our community had the foresight to make strategic site development investments that helped lay the groundwork for major employers like Principe Foods, Aurora Organic Dairy, and more in recent years. Columbia also had the foresight to invest in a new airport terminal that will no doubt serve as a key economic driver in mid-Missouri for years to come.
Greatest strength: I take pride in listening to others’ viewpoints and treating people with respect and kindness, especially under stressful circumstances or when there are fundamental disagreements.
Your greatest challenge: My instinct is to be of service to all people. But that’s an impossible task and can take away time from what’s most important. I try to live by the maxim, “Don’t let perfect be the enemy of good.” is is easier said than done!
What you do for fun: ere’s nothing I love more than cheering on my kids at their soccer games. I also enjoy playing basketball with my buddies who seem to t the “former high school athlete turned middleaged” demographic pretty well. I’m a terrible shooter but a pesky defender!
Who makes up your family: My wife Kim and kids Asher (11) and Millie (9). e family favorite, of course, is our dog, Brisket. Apparently Brisket thinks he’s entitled to my spot in bed.
Accomplishment you are most proud of: Project-managing the state Department of Economic Development’s (DED) Best in Midwest initiative in 2018. We conducted research, engaged the state’s stakeholders, and spearheaded an important reorganization of DED to help us transition from a large, unfocused economic development agency to a streamlined agency ready to help Missouri’s businesses, communities, and workers prosper.
Most people don’t know that you: I get embarrassingly queasy around anything body or health-related, which is odd since my wife is in the medical eld. I’ve fainted multiple times. I even passed out while driving home after an in-car COVID test back in early 2021. Lesson learned: pull over as soon as I feel a twinge of light-headedness! CBT
CELEBRATING EXCELLENCE IN SERVICE: GFI DIGITAL RECEIVES PLATINUM LEVEL SERVICE PROVIDER STATUS
By Corey Backues cbackues@gfidigital.com
We are excited to announce that GFI Digital is one of 97 Sharp dealerships that have achieved an A Rating or higher in the Platinum Level Service Provider Recognition Program for the 2024 Fiscal Year. This prestigious recognition is a testament to our exceptional performance and unwavering dedication to excellence in copier and printer service delivery.
What Is Sharp Platinum Level Service Provider Status?
ahead of the curve with Sharp’s evolving technologies, ensuring they are equipped to deliver exceptional service.
COREY BACKUES
Vice President of Sales
Corey has a passion for sales and customer service. With over 27 years of experience in office equipment, he oversees the GFI Digital sales leaders in Missouri, Illinois and Kansas. Prior to joining GFI Digital, Corey served as Director of Sales at IKON Office Solutions (now Ricoh.) He received his sales and management training from the Gibbs family at Modern Business Systems (MBS) in the 1990’s, which later became IKON.
croofe@gfidigital.com (media contact) marketing@gfidigital.com (general) (877) 434-0012
The Platinum Level Service Provider Status is designed to celebrate and reward service organizations that exceed Sharp’s rigorous performance benchmarks. This recognition highlights dealerships that go above and beyond in providing industryleading customer service while adhering to best practices in the service sector.
What Makes These Dealerships Stand Out?
In order to earn an A Rating or higher, dealerships must demonstrate excellence in the following critical areas:
• Using Genuine Sharp Parts and Supplies: A commitment to using only genuine Sharp parts and supplies ensures that customers receive high-quality, reliable products. This contributes to the longevity and optimal performance of Sharp technology.
• Commitment to Training: Continuous improvement and expertise are at the heart of any successful service provider. These dealerships invest in training to stay
At GFI Digital, our technicians undergo regular, in-depth training, equipping them to expertly handle every device with precision and care. Whether it’s desktop printers or production machines—regardless of size or model, we are always ready to deliver the highest standard of service.
• Using Remote Diagnostic Technology: Innovation plays a key role in enhancing service delivery. By utilizing remote diagnostic technology, these dealerships can quickly troubleshoot and resolve issues without the need for an on-site visit, resulting in faster response times and reduced downtime for customers.
• Timely Updating of Call Tracking Tickets: Effective communication is essential for customer satisfaction. Sharp dealerships that achieve Platinum Level recognition keep their call tracking tickets up-to-date, ensuring that issues are addressed promptly and customers are always in the loop about the progress of their service requests.
Why
This
Recognition Matters
At GFI Digital, we understand the importance of delivering exceptional service to our customers. Achieving an A Rating or higher in the Platinum Level Service Provider
Recognition Program is not just about hitting performance benchmarks—it’s about showing a relentless dedication to our mission of delivering service excellence.
One of the key ways we demonstrate this commitment is through our Total Call Procedure, executed by our highly skilled technicians at every service call. This A-Z checklist includes addressing the reason for the call, replacing parts, performing preventative maintenance, cleaning the machine, and much more!
We incentivize our technicians to follow this comprehensive checklist during every service visit. This approach ensures that we not only meet but exceed customer expectations, delivering top-quality service and optimal machine performance with each interaction.
GFI Digital is a full-service provider of office technology, including multi-function copiers, printers, and information technology services. For more than 25 years, GFI Digital has grown into an industry leader in office technology, copiers, printers, data center, networking, security, and system administration. Having a passion for customer satisfaction has earned GFI Digital a reputation for customer service. We make technology simple!
MORE MYTHS ABOUT THE COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
By Vaughn Prost info@prostbuilders.com
MYTH #5
Safety standards are always compromised in commercial construction.
Fact: Safety is a top priority in commercial construction and the industry is governed by strict regulations. Organizations such as the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforce safety standards on construction sites, and many contractors prioritize safety training and procedures to ensure the wellbeing of workers. OSHA guidelines and procedures are in place because accidents can occur due to heavy machinery and job site situations, but proper safety measures greatly reduce the risk to laborers.
Myth #6
Commercial construction work is only for large companies.
Fact: While large companies do dominate the commercial construction market, many small and medium-sized businesses are involved in the industry, as well. Local contractors, especially those specializing in certain niches like electrical, plumbing, and drywall, often work on commercial projects. Small businesses can also bid on government and private-sector contracts, according to the U.S. Small Business Administration, whose main purpose is to support small businesses in construction.
Myth #7
Construction projects are inherently environmentally harmful.
Fact: The construction industry has made significant strides toward sustainability. Many commercial construction projects now focus on waste reduction, energy efficiency, and using environmentally friendly materials. LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification has become a standard
for green building practices, and many commercial projects now aim for LEED certification to improve environmental performance, per the U.S. Green Building Council and LEED certification guidelines.
Myth #8
VAUGHN PROST Owner & President
Vaughn Prost is the owner and president of Prost Builders lnc., a design/build and construction services firm located in Columbia. Vaughn has over forty years of domestic and international design and construction experience as a cost and scheduling engineer, structural engineer, owner’s construction representative, and general contractor.
635-0211 |
Commercial construction doesn’t involve much technology. Fact: Technology has become an integral part of commercial construction, from initial design to project completion. Tools like BIM (Building Information Modeling), 3D printing for building components, and drones for surveying have revolutionized how projects are designed and executed. These technologies reduce costs, make construction more efficient, and improve accuracy.
Top Picture: The Olen Howard Workforce Innovation Center classroom in Sedalia teaches industrial industrial robotics, logistics, and has the latest technology equipment for commerical construction.
Bottom Picture: The Student Success Center at the Kirk Building in Kirksville with new energy efficient LED lighting.
IS YOUR WEBSITE ADA COMPLIANT?
By Charles Bruce III charles@comocompanies.com
Ensuring your website complies with ADA standards is not just a legal obligation — it is also essential for creating an inclusive and successful business.
As we move through 2025, prioritizing accessibility on your website can help you avoid lawsuits, expand your audience, and foster a brand reputation for inclusivity. Here’s what you need to know about ADA compliance and why it matters now more than ever.
What Does ADA Compliance
Mean for Websites?
The ADA prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including online spaces. An ADA-compliant website ensures that people with disabilities — such as those who are blind, deaf, or who rely on assistive technologies like screen readers — can access and interact with your site just as easily as anyone else. Key features of an ADA-compliant website include:
CHARLES BRUCE III Director of Client Relations
Charles Bruce is the Director of Client Relations for COMO Companies which owns COMO Marketing, COMO Magazine, and COMO Business Times. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration and his MBA from the University of Dubuque. When Charles isn’t being the life of the party, he can be found climbing a large mountain. In December 2023 he climbed the Imja Tse mountain in Nepal.
573.499.1830 | comomarketing.co
• Keyboard Navigation: All functionalities must be accessible using just a keyboard.
• Text Alternatives: Images and non-text content need descriptive alt text.
• Readable Content: Proper font sizes, color contrast, and clear text hierarchy.
• Video Accessibility: Captions for videos and transcripts for audio content.
• Screen Reader Compatibility: Clean HTML coding and labels for screen readers to interpret accurately.
Why ADA Compliance Is Essential in 2025
Legal Requirements Are Increasing Courts have ruled that the ADA applies to websites, leading to a surge in accessibility
lawsuits. In 2025, enforcement is expected to become even stricter, with larger penalties for businesses that neglect compliance. Staying proactive helps protect your organization from costly legal battles.
An Inclusive Web Is Good Business
More than 61 million Americans live with a disability. By creating an accessible website, you open your business to a wider audience, increasing potential customers and fostering goodwill. An accessible site also boosts user satisfaction for everyone, as features like easy navigation and well-organized content improve the overall user experience.
SEO Benefits
Many accessibility best practices align with SEO principles. For example, alt text for images, properly labeled headings, and clear navigation all contribute to better rankings on search engines. By investing in accessibility, you’re also investing in discoverability.
Future-Proof Your Brand
Digital accessibility isn’t a trend — it’s the future. Companies that prioritize inclusivity now will set themselves apart as leaders
in their industries. ADA compliance demonstrates your brand’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, building trust and loyalty among your customers.
Steps to Ensure ADA Compliance
• Conduct an Audit: Use tools like WAVE or hire an expert to identify accessibility gaps.
• Update Your Design: Work with designers who understand ADA guidelines to implement changes.
• Test for Usability: Involve individuals with disabilities in testing your site for accessibility.
• Stay Informed: Regularly monitor updates to ADA requirements and web standards.
Accessibility Matters
By ensuring your website meets ADA standards, you’re not only protecting your business from lawsuits but also making a statement that everyone deserves equal access to the digital world. 2025 is the year to prioritize accessibility. Is your website ready?
WHY BANKING WITH A COMMUNITY BANK IS RIGHT FOR YOUR SMALL BUSINESS
By Brad Roling broling@midambk.com
As the newest community bank in Columbia, I’d like to highlight a few of the ways a community bank can support your growing business. There are a lot of banking choices these days, but the benefits of banking locally make choosing simple. Here are a few ways that we can serve you and your business as your locally owned, community-focused bank.
A community bank offers personalized service for you and your business. You are more than your account number or your loan amount, you are the community member making a difference by stimulating our economy with your local business. By banking locally, you have the opportunity to sit down with a banker or loan officer who can answer your financial questions and be excited about the future of your business with you.
Having a relationship with a local banker means when it comes time for the next step in your business plan, you won’t have to spend hours explaining your business
to a stranger before they sign off on your loan. You have access to local decision makers who know your story and can work through the loan process alongside you. Did you know 38% of small business loans are held with community banks? There is benefit for not only your business, but your community, when you trust a community bank with your company.
It’s no secret that we are committed to serving our communities. In 2024, we were proud to support over 475 local organizations by providing donations, sponsorships, volunteer efforts, and more. Providing funding and support for local businesses is part of fulfilling our commitment to the community. Along with helping meet the community’s banking needs, we are also passionate about supporting local non-profits as they
BRAD ROLING Market President
serve our community too. Banking with a community bank is mutually beneficial for you and your community.
If you’re ready to check out a community bank, we invite you to our new branch at 4601 Stellar Drive here in Columbia. We have business checking accounts tailored for your business and treasury management products to help with managing cash flow, collecting payments and fraud prevention. Our friendly staff is ready to assist with you and your business’ needs.
Crime Gained the Spotlight in Columbia Mayor’s Race
But how accurate is the perception that COMO is run amok with bad guys?
BY JODIE JACKSON JR
LESS THAN TWENTY-FOUR HOURS after the polls closed on April 8 with incumbent Barbara Bu aloe easily turning back two challengers to win another term as Columbia’s mayor, the city witnessed the start of a spate of violent crime that spanned shootings, a stabbing, and multiple arrests and charges.
e timing was especially notable considering that crime — and the need to hire more police o cers — was the hot topic during the sometimes-contentious mayoral race that featured runner-up candidate Blair Murphy raising more than $250,000 in his bid to unseat Bu aloe. Bu aloe garnered 14,073 votes, Murphy had 10,663 votes, and Tanya Heath received 779 votes.
e municipal election also came just a few weeks after the Columbia Police Department released updated crime statistics for 2024 that showed most categories of crime have actually decreased, and that arrests for the most violent crimes, including homicide, have increased.
But the days immediately following the election required substantial police resources in responding to 911 calls.
On April 9, Columbia police responded to an armed robbery in the 1400 block of Rangeline Street. A suspect in the alleged crime was arrested six days later on charges of rst-degree robbery, unlawful use of a weapon, and armed criminal action.
At about 10:40 p.m. on April 11, police responded to a report of shots red in the 2700 block of Maguire Boulevard. A man reportedly red a weapon at several people, and one person was struck in the leg.
Two days later, a Boone County sheri ’s deputy making a tra c stop in Sturgeon identi ed the 20-year-old driver as a suspect wanted in connection to that shooting. e suspect was arrested on charges of rst-degree assault, fourth-degree assault, unlawful use of a weapon, and armed criminal action.
At around 10:30 p.m. Saturday, April 12, at Cosmo Park, two people — one man and one woman — were shot in a hail of gun re, and both were taken to a local hospital. A news release said the man was in stable condition and the woman was in serious condition.
A few hours later, at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, April 13, a Columbia police o cer witnessed a shooting downtown near the corner of Ninth and Broadway. Two juvenile males were taken into custody, and two adult men were both hospitalized and were in stable condition.
en on Monday, April 14, police responded to an assault in the 2900 block of Leeway Drive. A stabbing victim had non-life-threatening injuries, and a 70-year-old man was arrested on charges of rst-degree assault, armed criminal action, and unlawful use of a weapon.
Meanwhile, police o cials said while the Columbia Police Department is understa ed, the crimes are still under investigation or suspects have already been identi ed and arrested. at stretch of police activity came on the heels of the midMarch seizure of thirty-four stolen rearms, resulting in the arrests of eight people on more than 100 collective criminal charges. Police said the stolen guns had come from another community but were sold to individuals who by law were prohibited from owning weapons.
And just a week before the election, two Columbia police o cers who were on an overtime assignment downtown, saw a suspect shoot toward a vehicle. e suspect was arrested and the gun was identied as stolen.
“The undercurrrent of frustration is that we’re a reactive police department, and we have been for several years. You really have no other alternative when you don’t have sta ing. You’re just trying to get through the day, answer the 911 calls. That frustrates the public and it frustrates the police o icers.”
ough that incident captured a bevy of social media attention as a supposed example of rising crime downtown, police said it illustrated something else.
“ at’s how local policing is supposed to work,” said Police Chief Jill Schlude. “People are going to commit crimes even if a police o cer is standing right there.” e ensuing all-hands-on-deck response from other agencies, including the Boone County Sheri ’s O ce, the Missouri Highway Patrol, and Ashland Police Department, was also an example of how other agencies assist when called on. Schlude added, “I’m incredibly grateful for our partners responding the way they did.”
But Schlude is also the rst to sound the alarm that CPD is understa ed and that retaining trained o cers continues to be a challenge, though the actual picture is di erent from some of the public narratives that fail to recognize how those factors have improved. For instance, when Schlude became police chief in December 2023, the department had close to forty vacancies. On April 1, 2025, the department had sixteen vacancies, or an 8 percent vacancy rate. And during the most recent job postings for additional o cers, Schlude said the department received fty applications. Some of those jobseekers are o cers who are transferring or wanting to come in as “lateral hires,” which means they don’t have to go through the department’s police academy that began last summer.
e new police academy recently graduated its rst class of fourteen recruits, and another class is currently in session, with a third class getting started this summer.
e retention question seems more complicated to answer. Although new CPD hires start at a salary of $60,000, lack of full funding for the police pension fund and twelve-hour shifts that are necessary because of understaing are challenges for keeping cops from going to other cities.
“ e frustration that I feel is that we’ve been at a point, probably the past seven or eight years, where we’ve really started seeing more people leaving the department,” Schlude said.
In scal year 2022, twenty-three o cers left CPD and nineteen were hired. In 2023, twenty-four left and ten were hired. e trend is a reverse from previous years. In 2014, the department saw ten o cers leave, but twenty-six were hired. In 2016, nineteen left and seventeen were hired.
“We got into this pattern where we’re not making a lot of headway,” she added. “ ose vacancies really start stacking up.”
A recent city survey of Columbia residents showed that public safety and a desire for greater police visibility are among the public’s highest priorities. Schlude acknowledged that survey by noting that residents want the special CPD downtown unit back, “which I’m totally for.”
She continued, “But we have to have sta ng. O cers in the park? We have to have the sta .”
Crimes against property decreased 7.27 percent and crimes against society — such as drugs and weapons crimes — decreased by 2.25 percent.
Meanwhile, crimes against persons declined 3.5 percent.
Schlude said she is con dent that the department could be at “full strength” with 194 o cers and sta by the end of the calendar year. She and her command sta determined, however, that the department needs fty-one new o cers, not just the sixteen that would bring the roster to 194.
“ e undercurrrent of frustration is that we’re a reactive police department, and we have been for several years,” she said. “You really have no other alternative when you don’t have sta ng. You’re just trying to get through the day, answer the 911 calls. at frustrates the public and it frustrates the police o cers.”
But what about that new crime report? Schlude unveiled a new crime report that uses an improved methodology to report crimes. at will also lead to an online dashboard for the public to see real-time updates as early as this summer. e new reporting method put crimes into the categories of crimes against persons, crimes against property, and crimes against society. In all three areas, crime went down in 2024 compared to 2023.
Crimes against property decreased 7.27 percent and crimes against society — such as drugs and weapons crimes — decreased by 2.25 percent. Meanwhile, crimes against persons declined 3.5 percent.
But statistics do not take into account that the police department has not grown commensurately with the city’s population growth, which is around 2.25 percent annually. Schlude said the city must take that growth into account, noting that the 194 positions she can sta is the number that the City Council has authorized. And that number includes thirteen ocers at Columbia Regional Airport and four park rangers.
“We can’t hire any more police ocers unless the city gives us more positions,” she said, explaining that a lack of future planning has also “permeated” other city needs, such as electric utility infrastructure, water towers, and street repairs.
“ ere’s this general feeling that we don’t have a master plan,” Schlude said. “I think that’s what we hear the public asking for.” CBT
Cherished Memories & Lingering Wounds
Downtown's Sharp End has a complicated history.
BY RUDI KELLER
PHOTOS BY ANTHONY JINSON
AT THE START OF APRIL 2015, managing editor Jim Robertson called me to his o ce at the Columbia Daily Tribune and closed the door.
He calmed my fear that I was about to be red by giving me a special assignment. I was going to drop everything to produce a special section on Sharp End.
“What’s Sharp End?” I asked.
My answer was the same that the vast majority of Columbians, white or Black, would have given that day. I had no idea that for fty years, a business district along Walnut Street provided Black residents the kinds of services otherwise closed to them by legal and cultural segregation.
All I had known, since arriving in Columbia in 1983, was that the block between Fifth and Sixth Streets was home to the Columbia post o ce, with a parking lot — later a giant parking garage — lling the block across the street.
My ignorance was due, in large part, to me being one of many Columbians who came from somewhere else. In the fty- ve years after Sharp End was demolished — one of the many tragedies of so-called “urban renewal” — Columbia tripled in size; people were attracted in large part by jobs linked to the University of Missouri and state government.
My lack of knowledge was also due to the story of Black Columbia being ignored by the larger community.
“Nobody knew it,” said Barbra Horrell, co-chair of the Sharp End Heritage Committee, in a recent interview. “ ey didn’t talk about it anymore.”
Even ten years later, when a new venture, e Shops at Sharp End, is in place to incubate new businesses, the director isn’t quite sure what she’s trying to revive.
“I didn't even know anything about the Sharp End, I didn't even know anything about the businesses around here,” said Tiowanna Warrick, who moved to Columbia twenty years ago.
“Even just living in Columbia, it just wasn't a conversation that was brought up,” she conceded. “I de nitely didn't hear anything about this until I actually started working here.”
Photo courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri
Photo courtesy of Barbra Horrell
Photo courtesy of the State Historical Society of Missouri
THE LIFE OF SHARP END
In 1860, on the eve of the Civil War, more than one of every four residents of Boone County was Black. But only fty-three of those 5,087 people were free.
Emancipation started two large movements. e rst was from the countryside into Columbia, where the Black population more than doubled by 1880. e next phase was a seventy-year exodus where Boone County lost 40 percent of its Black population.
e combined e ect meant that by 1910, more than half of the Black residents of Boone County lived in Columbia while the Black proportion of the county population as a whole was one in eight. Census reports show how, within Columbia, strict segregation limited Black residents to the area along Flat Branch Creek, between Garth Avenue and Eighth Street, with a few outlying neighborhoods.
e demand for businesses that would serve that growing population found a voice in the Columbia Professional World, a newspaper serving the Black community and launched by Rufus Logan in 1901.
“ e population of Columbia is 50 percent negroes without a single negro business house,” Logan wrote in a November 15, 1901, editorial. “A joint stock company well organized and properly managed should prove to be quite a pro table enterprise for Columbia negroes. All that is necessary is for some good energetic man to take the initiative in founding such a project.”
In 1909, under the leadership of Rev. Beriah Cain, the congregation of St. Luke Methodist Episcopal Church built a new stone chapel on the northeast corner of Fifth and Walnut streets. ere was new construction as well on the southeast corner. Development of the block into a commercial district began in 1910. By the mid-1910s, a two-story brick building o ered street-level storefronts, with apartments on the second oor.
An existing example of the type of construction is the building housing Tony’s Pizza Palace on the southwest corner of Fifth and Walnut Streets. During the Sharp End era, it was home to a barber shop. It is also one of the only buildings in the Sharp End district that was, and is, Black-owned by the Tibbs family.
e businesses that came rst took care of personal needs that could not be found for blacks in a similar Columbia setting. A pool hall, a barbershop, and a restaurant were the rst to open. Sharp End was where adult Black residents sat down to meals, enjoyed bands in a crowded nightclub, attended meetings of fraternal organizations, and lived in dozens of apartments.
By the 1940s, Sharp End was in full ower. Names that wouldn’t sound out of place in a gritty lm noir of the same era — the Green Tree Tavern, e Dreamland Cafe, Alton “Mr. Heavy” Patton and David “Pig” Emory — helped give Sharp End its character.
e Green Tree Tavern was a nightclub where, because there were no liquor-by-the-drink sales in Columbia, patrons asked for bowls of ice and a glass, and perhaps a mixer or chaser, to go with the spirits in their pocket ask. It operated under a variety of names for more than thirty years.
Exactly how Sharp End got its name is lost to history. It was in use by 1917, when a Columbia Missourian report about the case of a bootlegger noted he was arrested “at Fifth and Walnut Streets, known to its frequenters as ‘Sharp End.’”
e late Sehon Williams, who played jazz at the Green Tree before being drafted for World War II, told me in 2015 that it was because men carried switchblade knives and razors to defend themselves. Other versions point to the nightlife and stylish clothes worn to the club.
A 1938 University of Missouri master’s thesis on Columbia’s Black churches recorded St. Luke’s was built “at the corner of Fifth and an unnamed street. Sometimes this street is called Sharp Avenue.”
It was not really a street, the thesis stated, but a north-south alley east of Fifth Street.
at’s the version Horrell thinks is true. e apartments that stretched north from Walnut Street in a building that also housed the Elks lodge were accessed on the alley mentioned in the thesis, she said.
“Behind where the post o ce is, you went in that way up the alley, and you went upstairs to the apartments,” Horrell said.
Horrell lived on ird Street — today Providence Road — where her uncle, Ben Havey, operated an inn listed in the Negro Travelers’ Green Book. e kids who attended Douglass School bought sodas and ice cream at the Freeze King and families bought groceries at the ird Street Market.
A white merchant brought clothes to Black residential areas; in downtown stores owned by white merchants, a Black woman could purchase a dress but not try it on or return it.
“We had everything everybody else had,” Horrell said. “We just had it in our neighborhood.”
“We had everything everybody else had. We just had it in our neighborhood.”
– BARBRA HORRELL
Sharp End, however, was di erent. Closed to anyone under 18, it was the focus of adult life. ("Adults-only" had a different, less sexualized connotation back then.) Horrell was never old enough to go on Sharp End herself. She and her friends would get as close as they could.
“ ere was an empty lot, and that's where we would all hang out, because we couldn't go to Sharp End,” she said. “But we were teenagers, right? So we would hang out there on Saturday and Sunday. at's where Black kids hung out, because that was when we were still segregated.”
A big celebration each year for Columbia’s Black community was August 4, chosen to symbolically show that their independence had been delayed. During the day, family-oriented events took place on the grounds of Douglass School. At night, the focus shifted to Sharp End. “ ere would be one, well, it would be, I guess, two days, because one day they would close o Sharp End from Fifth to Sixth Street,” Williams said in a 2006 oral history interview with Gary Kremer, executive director of the State Historical Society of Missouri. “Be open gambling, dancing, drinking, whatever you wanted to do. Even some of the white policemen would come down and join in.”
Sharp End vanished in 1961, erased from the landscape — and the city’s collective memory — with a dismissive reference in the plan approved in 1958 by the Columbia Land Clearance and Redevelopment Authority.
“ e alley to the south of Walnut between Fifth and Eighth streets further delimits the project area because it divides the undesirable property fronting on Walnut from the desirable property to be retained fronting on Broadway,” the report stated.
Today, planners would call Sharp End a mixed-use community. e only di erence between the properties facing Broadway and those facing Walnut was the skin pigmentation of the proprietors and patrons.
What was lost to the collective memory of Columbia is both a wound that hasn’t healed and a cherished memory among those who lost businesses and homes to land clearance. e resentment was over the resulting loss of family wealth and independence as businesses closed because they had no adequate place to relocate. e impact was doubly hard on families that lost homes on Switzler, Pendleton, and other streets that became the site of public housing projects.
“I remember so well the pride Black families had, because they had their homes, whatever size they were, and how many kids they had in them,” Horrell said.
e Tribune’s special section was issued the day the Sharp End Heritage Committee erected a marker in front of the towering parking garage that occupies the most important block of Sharp End.
e resurrection of Columbia’s Black history has continued. Sharp End is now stop 23 on the 29-stop African American Heritage Trail, which includes stops at the places where Columbia’s rst Black businessman, John Lange Sr., had his pre-Civil War butcher shop and its richest businesswoman of any race in the early 20th century, Annie Fisher, built her ne home on Park Avenue.
It also visits the spot on Stewart Road where James Scott was lynched in 1922.
“We worked our butts o ” to establish the trail, Horrell said.
But she wants to be clear — Sharp End was a distinctive location on Walnut Street. e trail is a path into the other stories of Black Columbia.
“ e Heritage Trail is the Heritage Trail. Sharp End was Sharp End. ey are not the same,” Horrell said. “Sharp End was Black businesses. e Heritage Trail is the rest of Black Columbia that had had some presence that you all didn't know about.”
WHAT MADE SHARP END?
Sharp End thrived because it was a refuge from the crippling segregation that closed doors to opportunity; drew lines where Blacks could not live or be found at large after dark; or put their lives in danger from lynch mobs.
Even as it grew in importance in the lives of Columbia Blacks, the outward migration diminished the Black portion of the city and county. By the time the land was being cleared, almost a hundred years after emancipation, fewer than one in sixteen residents of Boone County was Black.
Young Black people didn’t see a future in Columbia, Horrell said.
“Most of the kids, when they graduated from high school and they went to college, they went to historical black colleges, which taught them there's no place to go back home,” she said. “You saw no Black lawyers. You saw nobody like us, unless they were in the neighborhood. Even our Black doctors had left here and gone someplace else.”
Horrell stayed because she received a full scholarship to attend the University of Missouri, and her parents said she couldn’t a ord to turn it down.
One of the trends working against the re-establishment of Sharp End businesses is that it was soon followed by the integration of public accommodations, equal housing, and equal opportunity laws.
Horrell still won’t eat at Columbia restaurants picketed in the early 1960s because they would not serve Black customers.
A trend that could have made Blackowned businesses more visible but hasn’t is the in ux of new residents that started in the 1960s. e population of Boone County grew 92 percent during the rst sixty years of the 20th century. During that time, the number of Black residents of the county declined by 28 percent.
Since 1960, the Black population of Boone County has increased 453 percent, compared to a general growth rate of 232 percent. e most recent Census Bureau data shows Blacks are more than 10 percent of Boone County’s population, the largest share since 1930, and more than 12 percent of Columbia, the largest share since 1940.
e end of legal segregation, combined with a rmative action e orts in public employment, brought increasing numbers of new Black residents, Horrell said.
Barbara Uehling, MU chancellor from 1978 to 1987, brought Horrell in from her job in the School of Medicine to recruit Black graduates to return, she said, and the rst Black alumni group was established. Black business ownership, however, doesn’t re ect that growth. e gures show most Black businesses remain small, with mainly part-time or minimum wage employees.
Census Bureau data shows there were 16,965 business rms in Columbia in 2021, with 3,465 of that number reporting one or more non-owner employees. ere were 65,448 employees in private industry, an average of nineteen per employer and a total payroll of $3.4 billion.
Blacks owned 7.7 percent of all business rms, but only 98, or 2.8 percent, of the rms with at least one employee. Blackowned rms employed less than 1 percent of the workers employed in private industry and, with a payroll of $8.2 million, paid
just two-tenths of a percent of the wages. e average annual per-employee payroll in all Columbia businesses is $52,044. With an average of just over ve employees each, the average per-employee payroll for Black-owned businesses is $15,077. Many of the Black-owned businesses in Columbia are the kind of personal services provided on Sharp End, Horrell said.
ey are less visible because they are scattered throughout the community.
“Blacks go all over town to get what they want,” she said. “ ere are none in the heart of Columbia anymore, except the Black barber shops.”
Warrick, who moved to Columbia for family reasons, said she noticed the lack of Black owned businesses compared to her hometown of Chicago.
“When I moved here it was di erent, because I wasn't seeing a lot of Black businesses down here, and still don't really to this day,” she said.
THE SHOPS AT SHARP END
You won’t be able to hear a jazz band, buy a pint of whisky, shoot a game of pool, or get a meal if you visit e Shops at Sharp End business incubator on the ground oor of the garage at Fifth and Walnut.
What you will nd is an open space where designers o er clothes or a customizing workover for wedding dresses. Art for sale adorns the walls, and shelves o er books by Black authors, or their own works.
Opened in February 2024, the incubator established as a partnership of Regional Economic Development Inc. (REDI), the Downtown Community Improvement District, and Central Missouri Community Action’s Women's Business Center, has struggled to nd its footing, Warrick said.
It started with about twenty business owners o ering wares but by the time she was hired in June 2024, it was down to nine, the current number.
Aaron Fox, a white writer of children’s books, said he was invited to take part during the initial creation of the shops and told it was designed to be a diverse place. He sells his books as well as stu ed animals and shirts he designs.
“ e most attractive thing was being part of this community and being able
to relate and be here and show my own things with other people,” he said.
e lingering resentment of how Sharp End was erased brings added friction to the creation of a new space in its name. Warrick said she’s tried to educate herself about what Sharp End was. She’s had panels come in for programs, including Horrell.
“I know how important it is to, not just the Black community No. 1, but for the Columbia community, period.” Warrick said. “I have a lot of people that come in and say, ‘I never knew you were sitting here. What is this about?’ And so I want to make sure that I am representing correctly.”
On the wall, written in cursive, are the words Sharp End. Horrell’s son recognized it as her handwriting, and she has concluded that the shops do not honor the memory of Sharp End and wants it taken down.
“I keep telling them, ‘Y’all need to take my signature down, because I have disassociated what you all are doing with what was originally up here,’” Horrell said.
Warrick hasn’t consented to take it down. ere have been other complaints as well, she said.
“I have a lot of Black people that come in here and express their frustration about this particular program, or just this building itself,” Warrick said. “I'm not sure if some of the Black people that came in and expressed a frustration were supposed to be a part of the program, or either they gave input for the program and they felt like their input was taken away from them and someone else is getting credit for it.”
None of the entrepreneurs operating out of the shops has moved into a permanent location, Warrick said. But that is her goal.
“To see them have their own brick and mortar and be successful, that's where I want to see them in ve years,” she said.
Horrell said she wants to see more Black-owned permanent businesses in the space used by the shops, or, better yet, revive the idea that Rufus Logan had in 1901.
“If you built a big conglomerate right now of buildings that had spaces in it,” Horrell said, “you could get sixteen to eighteen businesses, Black businesses, right in there.” CBT
Street Talk
Where is the federal budget axe falling in Columbia?
BY JODIE JACKSON JR
DID ANYONE ELSE FALL FOR the “breaking news” Facebook page that recently announced the Trader Joe’s coming to Columbia was going to be the company’s rst “Super” store? Before we could tell our readers about the cool development, the page was exposed as a fake or parody page. A lot of us (almost) fell for it, yet another example of how so many are prone to believe social media as gospel while traditional, dare I say “mainstream” news sources, are met with disdain and suspicion.
One grant is back, another grant is gone.
As the April issue of COMO Business Times was coming o the press, the Business Loop Community Improvement District (CID) received word that the $2.13 million Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant from the feds was back. Our April issue announced the news that the grant had been halted.
Such is the speed and shifting nature of news in the cycle of dizzying federal budget cuts and executive orders that are keeping a lot of government agencies and nonpro ts on edge.
For instance, the Environmental Protection Agency has pulled the plug on a $500,000 grant that had been awarded to Columbia nonpro t Local Motion for creating a multi-year transit master plan for the city. In EPA’s March 28 notice to Local Motion, the agency cited “shifting priorities under the current administration” as the reason for the decision.
ough the funding loss is a signi cant setback, Local Motion’s community engagement director Rikki Ascani said in a news release that e orts will continue to make Columbia a more livable city with reliable public transportation.
City of Refuge is expanding its services to include refugee resettlement through a new partnership with the Missouri O ce of Refugee Resettlement. Catholic Charities previously handled resettlement services in the region but ceased operations due to a loss of federal funding.
City of Refuge intends now to rely on private, individual donations to ll the funding gap as it adds refugee resettlement to its range of services.
Federal budget cuts also came down on the Columbia/ Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services to the tune of $804,000 for four grants that funded public health initiatives — including the Health on Wheels mobile outreach van — and COVID-19 resources. A health department spokesperson at the health department said the depart-
ment is still unsure of what impact the cuts will have, and that it is trying to avoid sta cuts.
e terminated funding came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and was dispersed by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. Lisa Cox, communications director at the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services, said her department was noti ed March 25 that $255 million of funding streams were canceled e ective the previous night.
EquipmentShare Marks 10-year Anniversary
Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe was among the dignitaries on hand April 10 for EquipmentShare’s tenth-anniversary celebration and a ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the opening of its new Technology Development Center in Columbia. e expansion was supported by Chapter 100 bonds which allowed the Boone County Commission to provide a period property tax abatement in return for creating hundreds of new jobs.
EquipmentShare’s corporate campus once was one building of 50,000 square feet. at footprint has grown to 35 acres with multiple buildings, including the TDC, totaling roughly 500,000 square feet among all facilities. EquipmentShare is a provider of construction equipment, along with a hardware and software system used for tracking equipment.
Quick Hits
• PFSbrands has completed its acquisition of the Moser’s Foods grocery chain, which will transition the business to an employee-owned model. Moser’s operates eight locations in Missouri, including three in Columbia. A purchase price was not disclosed.
• e merger of River Region Credit Union and Missouri Credit Union has been legally approved by the NCUA and Missouri Credit Union members as of April 1. River Region Credit Union and Missouri Credit Union plan to have all systems and services combined by November 1, 2025.
• Columbia College announced record results from its seventh annual Giving Day event in support of students nationwide, raising $436,985 from nearly 300 donors. e amount raised surpasses last year’s total by more than 40 percent. e funds raised through Giving Day 2025 will augment a variety of initiatives across the college, with a focus on scholarships, faculty development, and technological enhancements. CBT
Street Talk is a monthly overview of “word on the street” business and community news. Street Talk is sponsored by e Bank of Missouri.
New Business Licenses
Issued April 2025
T-Mobile Financial LLC
Retail trade
101 Conley Road, Columbia
Elevate Motion Studio LLC
Elsie Geissler Huesgen 2200 Forum Boulevard, Columbia
Aligned Wealth Group
Finance and insurance
Adam Bethel 3621 Discovery Parkway, Columbia
4Buds LLC
Travis Oakley
36 N Ninth St, Columbia
Briarwood Estate, LLC
Real estate rental and leasing
Edward Brent
100 W Briarwood Lane, Columbia
Columbia Lodging LLC
Birch Hill Suites
3100 Wingate Court, Columbia
Elijah Moon
Arts, entertainment, and recreation 1708 Sun Court, Columbia
Fostering Blossoms, LLC
Kathryn Foster
2718 Forum Boulevard, Columbia
Mercadito Oasis LLC
Retail trade
1301 Vandiver Drive, Columbia
Pali Industries
Construction
Gabriela Lima 1529 Bodie Drive, Columbia
Howie’s Happy Dog Training & Development LLC
Howard Shucart
1307 London Drive, Columbia
Alchemist Studio LLC
4500 Stellar Drive, Columbia
Pretty Luxe Collection
410 W Old Plank Rd, Columbia
Three Cats Crafts Co.
3309 Mexico Gravel Road, Columbia
AMB Spa Enterprises LLC
Massage Envy Columbia 2703 E Broadway, Columbia
Carl Eaves
Construction 3815 Hinkson Creek Road, Columbia
Willie Mae LLC
Pawfect Chicken Treats 5524 Sweetgum Circle, Columbia
Straight Grain Studio LLC
207 W Forest Ave, Columbia
Pimby Studios LLC
1012 Cooper Drive North, Columbia
Defy Time Aesthetics
Lisa Gore
555 E Green Meadows Rd, Columbia
Haby Peace at Home LLC
Health care and social assistance
Hadje Achta Boukari Youssouf 3830 S Country Woods Rd, Columbia
Sonder Lounge LLC
4500 Stellar Drive, Columbia
Talos Lending Inc
Minnow Loan
Michael McClung
500 E Broadway, Columbia CBT
Issued by the city of Columbia’s Finance Department.
What’s Going Up?
Guitar Building and new Burrell treatment center projects are progressing.
BY JODIE JACKSON JR
LONG-DELAYED WORK to replace the decorative parapet wall on the upper edge of the historic downtown GUITAR BUILDING at 28 N. Eighth St. and renovation of the former Rainbow House children’s emergency shelter on Towne Drive are among the projects listed on building permits that the Columbia Building and Site Development O ce issued in March.
e city’s building permit report listed 110 projects with a combined valuation of $27,259,495 for March 2025. Boone County’s Resource Management Department issued eighty permits with an aggregate value of $11,322,117. Combined, the reports total 190 permits and a cumulative valuation of $38,581,612.
New single-family homes (sixty permits) accounted for just over $24 million (62 percent) of the building permit total, meaning the average cost of
new homes approved for construction in March was right at $400,000.
In Columbia, the parapet wall on the Guitar Building and a portion of the structure facing Walnut and Eighth streets has been in disrepair since a partial collapse of the parapet in December 2022. Additional structural issues have occurred since then and temporary, protective canopies, along with sidewalk closures, have shielded pedestrians from restoration work.
e Guitar Building was constructed in 1910 by J.H and E.H. Guitar. Just to the south on the west side of Eighth Street is the east side of City Hall and a parking garage, covering what was once Guitar Street.
e repairs are being completed by Professional Contractors and Engineers. e permit lists a valuation of $782,753 for the 6,000-square-foot project.
Meanwhile, work is underway at 1611 Towne Drive, which previously housed the Rainbow House children’s emergency shelter. BURRELL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH has contracted Reinhardt Construction LLC to renovate the building for an outpatient clinic and residential treatment.
e project entails 17,506 square feet and has a valuation of $500,000. e Rainbow House emergency shelter unexpectedly shuttered its doors in September 2024 after providing thousands of children with a temporary home and safe shelter for nearly four decades.
e city’s March 2025 building permit report breakdown shows:
• Addition (residential): 1 permit, $50,211 valuation.
• Alteration (commercial): 10 permits, $4.51 million.
• Alteration (residential): 16 permits, $603,440.
• Pool (1 & 2 family): 1 permit, $31,128.
• Commercial in ll: 2 permits, $126,521.
• Commercial new: 3 permits, $2.70 million.
• Deck only: 3 permits, $55,116.
• Duplex: 6 permits, $1.53 million.
• Re-roof: 25 permits, $887,874.
• Residential demo:
2 permits, zero valuation.
• Single family detached (waived fees): 1 permit, $249,511.
• Single family detached: 37 permits, $15.81 million.
• Solar photovoltaic system: 1 permit, $77,777.
• Townhouse: 2 permits, $629,836.
Other highlights of the report included:
Townhouses in the VINTAGE FALLS development at 4121 and 41176 Umbria Court, valued at $314,442 and $315,394, respectively. e builder is Beacon Street Homes.
A pair of duplexes in the DOUGLAS SUBDIVISION at 508 High Street, both valued at $330,053. e builder is e Foundation Custom Homes LLC.
New commercial construction at 4701 Ballard Road for a shell building encompassing 23,6811 square feet and valued at $2.37 million. Anderson Homes in the builder. e permit did not list potential business or retail tenants. e site is located in the Ewing Industrial Park area in northeast Columbia. Bollard Road will extend north of Stephens Station Road and Brown Station Road.
OLD HAWTHORNE has two projects in the works. e rst is a 1,160-square-foot convenience store for use at the existing club property; the building is an accessory to the clubhouse. e permit listed a valuation of $150,046. e second project is construction of a hitting bay building, which will be an accessory to the clubhouse and convenience store. e hitting bay will encompass 875 square feet and has a valuation of $177,485.
Commercial in ll at 4215 Philips Farm Road, Suite 117. Discovery Development LLC is the builder. e project includes 1,800 square feet and has a valuation of $76,521. e tenant in ll and interior improvements are being done for a previously unoccupied space.
SCOOTER’S COFFEE and a new drive through co ee kiosk building are in the works for 1205 Grindstone Parkway Suite 109. e building permit lists a valuation of $311,440 for the 4,000-square-foot project. e builder is Core States Construction Services.
FUJI JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE is coming to 1000 I-70 Drive SW. e location was the former home of the Hungry Crab seafood restaurant that closed in 2024. e permit for commercial alteration simply lists “interior renovation to existing restaurant,” and does not provide additional details. e restaurant is 5,139 square feet and the alterations value is listed at $350,000.
Additional tenant improvements for the new TRADER JOE’S store at 201 N. Stadium are covered with a permit for the 11,096 square foot, $1.8 million permit. Oakline Construction Group LLC is the contractor.
An interior buildout of a vacant tenant suite is planned for a NEW HAIR SALON at 1413 Grindstone Plaza Drive, Suite 113. e project valuation is $175,000. Nick Timberlake is the contractor.
e top-dollar single-family homes getting building permits in March include:
• 4605 Copperstone Court. $1.23 MILLION and 8,665 square feet. e builder is Anderson Homes.
• William Smith Place at Parkside Estates $772,207 and 5,556 square feet. e builder is J Jones Homes.
• e Brooks at Stayton Ferry Loop. $767,098 and 5,404 square feet. e builder is John Hansman Construction LLC.
Boone County’s building permit activity for March 2025 included:
• Single family residential: 23 permits, $8.22 million value.
• Mobile homes: 1 permit, $10,000.
• Other nonresidential: 6 permits, $397,500.
• Other structures: 14 permits, $684,755.
• Residential additions/alterations: 8 permits, $619,667.
• Nonresidential additions/ alterations: 2 permits, $115,000.
• Residential garages: 13 permits, $1.06 million.
• Miscellaneous: 13 permits, $213,300.
e top-dollar single family homes on the building permit list include:
• 14000 N. Level Rd., Hallsville. $790,000 . e builder is Rivers Edge Design & Construction.
• 9280 S. Tomlin Hill Rd., Columbia. $787,330 . e builder is Hemme Construction.
• 7461 Mt. Zion Church Road, Hallsville. $600,000 . e builder is Wilcoxson Custom Homes.
• 11306 W. Bradley Lane, Columbia. $600,000 . e builder is Tyler Johnston Investments. CBT
$804,000
The amount of four federal grants cut from the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services.
$436,985
The amount raised by nearly 300 donors for Columbia College’s recent Giving Day.
4.65%
Vacancy rate of downtown Columbia commercial and retail property.
8.9
Total miles from the MKT Trail trailhead at Flat Branch Park to Hindman Junction on the Katy Trail.
14,073
Votes for Barbara Buffaloe
10,663
Votes for Blair Murphy
51
The number of police officers the CPD command staff says is needed to be at “full strength.”
14
The number of officers graduating from CPD’s first police academy.
8
The number of officers currently in training in the CPD police academy.
779 Votes for Tanya Heath
Prost Builders Inc. Marks 75 Years of Craftsmanship
BY M C KENNA STUMPH
THE 7,500-POUND BRONZE DOORS guarding the Missouri State Capitol in Je erson City were carefully removed from their hinges and shipped to New Jersey for expert restoration. e stained-glass barrel vault laylight above the grand stair was meticulously disassembled and shipped to Los Angeles for detailed cleaning.
e project to spruce up and restore the stunning entrance to the grand old seat of state government is one of many examples of craftsmanship that stand out among Prost Builders Inc.’s portfolio, which now covers seventy- ve years of history. e Missouri-grown and family-run business started in Je erson City in 1947, a tting home base considering the company’s historic preservation work.
When the State Capitol door framework and laylight structures were strengthened and walls were repainted, the doors and stained glass were fastidiously reinstalled just in time for the governor’s inauguration.
Vaughn Prost, owner of Prost Builders Inc., is the eighth generation of French artisans in his family’s construction company. His father, Paul Prost, started the company with Roy Hanley in 1947, originally calling the rm Hanley-Prost. e construction and design-build company completed the Heisinger Blu s Senior Living community project overlooking the Missouri River before Hanley retired in 1949. e company was renamed to Paul R. Prost Builder, with Paul as the sole owner. Soon after, Jay Prost, Paul’s younger brother, joined the company as a carpenter.
Scan the QR code to learn more about how Prost Builders has been preserving Missouri’s history for over 75 years.
Balancing
the City Budget Enters a New Era?
BY STEVE SPELLMAN
THE CITY OF COLUMBIA’S FINANCE DEPARTMENT provided some informative public education sessions earlier this year. For the 99.99 percent of readers who didn’t have a chance to attend, here’s an executive summary.
e rst public presentation in January was a PowerPoint describing that this new initiative intended to “Educate … Engage … (and) Empower.” Well, that sounds pretty good.
e main takeaway for Budgeting 101 for a concerned citizen is that the $500+ million big budget actually consists of a bunch of subsections. Primarily the general fund was plainly described as, “What you typically think of when you think of local government.” Which “can be used for a variety of purposes,” mainly general personnel, and public safety like police and re.
ere are also multiple enterprise funds — basically cityowned business entities — that keep their own separate books.
Every town worth its own salt has these things, like streets, sewers, and parks. But City Hall here has long touted itself as a “full-service city,” which sounds impressive, though it really means local government has socialized many a function that in other places private companies are allowed to do.
Our local municipal government runs an electric company, a trash collection monopoly, an underused bus program, a parking utility, and even a railroad spur.
A telling slide forecasts a slight budget shortfall trend, starting about scal year 2027. Revenue growth levels out — but darn it if expenses keep rising. Director of Finance Matthew Lue poignantly paused there and calmly advised that the community will need to have conversations coming up about how to ll that gap. Well noted, sir.
Scan the QR code to read the rest of Spellman's break down of Columbia’s big budget, small print, and what it all means for your wallet. CBT
