Columbia Business Times - March 2015

March 2015

all hail the

Doughnut

king!

Harold's Doughnuts reigns supreme

the cost of

crime A look at criminal court costs Page 60

p.y.s.k. jodie asel Page 29

Page 40

Beyond Black & White Page 34

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From the Editor

Editorial Erica Pefferman, Publisher Erica@BusinessTimesCompany.com Sarah Redohl, Editor SarahR@BusinessTimesCompany.com Katrina Tauchen, Copy Editor Katrina@BusinessTimesCompany.com

Welcoming conversation ›› When the Columbia Business Times held its first power lunch after I came on board as managing editor in 2012, the topic was how to foster growth of minority owned businesses.

However, it was only during the last 15 minutes or so that people began to open up about the issues they thought were keeping minority owned business numbers low (Columbia may be above national averages in many respects, but that’s one area where we’re behind; only 8.4 percent of businesses in Columbia are minority owned, compared to 28.7 percent nationwide).

But talking about racial divisions can be taboo.

So, most of the time, we approach the topic cautiously to feel out those around us before speaking with honesty.

In this issue of the Columbia Business Times, we Photo by Anthony Jinson attempt to talk about the relationship between the Columbia Police Department and Columbia’s African American population. Tension between citizens and police across the nation seems to be at an all-time high. Think of the situation in Ferguson, just in our own state. And so, the CBT tried to get a grasp on the situation in our own city.

We started asking questions to a lot of people identified as local leaders and experts on the topic. One quote — from the literal last minute of my last interview of the 17 we conducted for this story — stands out.

“I don’t speak for the black community,” says Mike Hayes, a retired, black Columbia Police officer. “I don’t speak for the police community. I just speak from the experiences I’ve had.”

We interviewed so many people because we thought it was important not to create a sense of spokesmanship. No one quoted in the article speaks for the entire black community in Columbia, nor for the entire CPD. Columbia Police Chief Ken Burton talked about all of his constituents — City Council, his officers, the Police Review Board, the citizens — and said that, at times, not all of his constituents will be happy with him.

I’m betting that not all of the CBT’s constituents will be happy with our coverage of this topic. “You didn’t talk to so-and-so” — believe me, our list of sources we didn’t have time to interview is long — or “You didn’t talk about such-and-such.”

Journalism has many purposes and forms. It can instigate change, it can entertain, it can be tonguein-cheek (hello, we put the Doughnut King on the cover of our Law and Justice issue!), it can inform (“Legal Green,” page 60). And we can talk about topics that may be taboo.

I can’t speak for everyone at the CBT, but I can tell you that I want to hear from you about this story, on page 34. As always, we love feedback, good and bad, so don’t hesitate to contact me at SarahR@BusinessTimesCompany.com. Enjoy this issue.

MARCH 2015

ALL HAIL THE

Best,

Sarah Redohl, Editor

All hail the Doughnut King!

Harold’s Doughnuts owner and founder Michael Urban has crafted a career around “loving his craft,” and Columbia loves his craft, too. So much so that Urban only had three doughnuts left to bring to this cover shoot at the CBT office in February! Story on page 40. Photo by Anthony Jinson.

DOUGHNUT

KING! Harold's Doughnuts reigns supreme

THE COST OF

CRIME

DESIGN Gillian Tracey, Editorial Designer Gillian@BusinessTimesCompany.com Creative Services Keith Borgmeyer, Graphic Designer Keith@BusinessTimesCompany.com MARKETING REPRESENTATIVES Deb Valvo, Director of Sales Deb@BusinessTimesCompany.com CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Casey Buckman Photography, Anthony Jinson, Ben Meldrum, Sarah Redohl CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Sarah Berger, Claire Boston, Al Germond, Brandon Hoops, Christi Kelly, Matthew Patston, Alisiana Peters, Monica Pitts, Sarah Redohl, Torie Ross, Brant Uptergrove, Pieter Van Waarde, Taylor Wanbaugh CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATOR Tifani Carter Interns Sarah Berger, Ben Meldrum, Matthew Patston, Alisiana Peters, Torie Ross and Taylor Wanbaugh MANAGEMENT Erica Pefferman, President Erica@BusinessTimesCompany.com Renea Sapp, Vice President of Finance ReneaS@BusinessTimesCompany.com Amy Ferrari, Operations Manager Amy@BusinessTimesCompany.com Crystal Richardson, Account Manager Crystal@BusinessTimesCompany.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscription rate is $19.95 for 12 issues for 1 year or $34.95 for 24 issues for 2 years.

To place an order or to inform us of an address change, log on to ColumbiaBusinessTimes.com.

The Columbia Business Times is published every month

by The Business Times Co., 2001 Corporate Place, Suite 100, Columbia, MO 65202.

Copyright The Business Times Co., 2008.

All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of any editorial or graphic content without the express written permission of the publisher is prohibited.

A look at criminal court costs PAGE 60

P.Y.S.K. JODIE ASEL PAGE 29

PAGE 40

BEYOND BLACK & WHITE PAGE 34

OUR MISSION STATEMENT The Columbia Business Times and ColumbiaBusinessTimes.com strives to be Columbia’s leading source for timely and comprehensive news coverage of the local business community. This publication is dedicated to being the most relevant and useful vehicle for the exchange of information and ideas among Columbia’s business professionals.

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 13

14 \\\ march 2015

About The Last Times What's happening online

Around the office

Harold's Doughnuts @haroldoughnuts The @ColumbiaBiz custom doughnut will be something else...#SOON Rachel Payton @AFPRachel Kat Cunningham and I at the @ColumbiaBiz #20u40 Gala!!

I wouldn't be where I am today without this woman!!

Suzan Harkness @SusanHarkness Stephens College very own alumnae- 20 Under 40 recipient Ms. Davenport #20u40 @stephenscollege @ColumbiaBiz Gordon Wright @outsidepr @Alter_G helping people rebuild with one unweighted AntiGravity Treadmill at a time!

Josh Creamer @joshcreamer @ColumbiaBiz: @CoMoFire_PIO does more than just put out fires! Learn what they do to keep our city safe.

AppliedEduSys @AppliedEduSys Facing the Nursing Shortage by @ColumbiaBiz #CareerTechEd #HealthScience Venta Marketing @Venta_Marketing Check out this awesome article about our client @ARGUSRAD in the @ColumbiaBiz! Alisiana Peters @AlisianaRPeters So glad I got to cover this wonderful #nonprofit for our Dec. issue! via @ColumbiaBiz Columbia Country Club @TheCoMoClub #shoutout to member Chuck Witt for his coverage in the @ColumbiaBiz February cover story! #lookingdapper #firechief

Don’t miss the CBT’s March launch party to taste test CBT’s custom doughnut creation from Harold’s Doughnuts. Is the CBT a doughnut hole shish kabob, a peanut butter bacon banana doughnut or a turtlestuffed Long John? Cast your vote March 4 from 4 to 6 p.m. at our office at 2001 Corporate Place.

There will be doughnut taste tests, a makeyour-own doughnut bar, wine from Les Bourgeois and tours of our newly remodeled digs.

Online extras Head online to columbiabusinesstimes.com for a video profile of Harold’s Doughnuts and extended answers from this month’s 8 Questions, Angela Drake.

Video profile

MOREnet @MOREbyMOREnet Congrats to Business programs at @WestminsterMO on earning national accreditation. Article via @ColumbiaBiz Write to CBT editor Sarah Redohl at Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 15

16 \\\ march 2015

March 2015

Vol. 21, Issue 9 columbiabusinesstimes.com

40

Love of the Craft

At Harold’s Doughnuts, Michael Urban and Melissa Poelling are reimagining what doughnuts in Columbia can taste and even look like, and they’re finding success is sweet.

46 Stop and Go

Take a look behind Columbia’s traffic signals and stop signs, and meet the dozens of traffic experts and aficionados whose goals are to minimize traffic and maximize safety.

34 Race Relations

With tension between citizens and police across the nation at an all-time high, the CBT explores the relationship between the CPD and Columbia’s African American population.

52 911 Redone

A major overhaul of Boone County Joint Communications and the Office of Emergency Management has county officials working together to ensure a seamless transition.

Departments 13 15 18 20 23 24 29 33 64 67 68 71 73 75 76 77 78 79 80 82

From the Editor Letters to the Editor Movers and Shakers Briefly in the News A Closer Look Business Update P.Y.S.K. Opinion Nonprofit Spotlight Did You Know?

Celebrations Marketing Technology Organizational Health Economic Index Deeds of Trust Business Licenses By the Numbers 8 Questions Flashback

56 Elder Law

As more of the baby boomer generation reaches retirement and their senior years, the need for estate planning and health care planning is higher than ever.

60 Legal Green

Addressing a municipal court fee schedule that’s confusing for everyone involved, the General Assembly has made judicial reforms a priority for the current legislative session.

Movers and Shakers ›› Professionals grow, serve and achieve

griggs

johnson

barlor

miller

bhattacharya

➜ Are you or your employees

making waves in the Columbia business community? Send us your news to Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com

steines

katti

Grim

›› Dave Griggs

›› MidwayUSA

›› Boone County National Bank

Griggs, owner of Dave Griggs’ Flooring America, has been honored with the first lifetime achievement award from national flooring cooperative Flooring America/Flooring Canada. Griggs has been active in the group since its inception and is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his business this year.

The national shooting-sports retailer announced two promotions: Theo Miller, to merchandising product line manager, and Nathan Hill, to merchandising manager. Miller and Hill began their careers at Midway in 2009 and 2010, respectively.

›› Emily Sansone

Columbia College hired Bhattacharya as director of the college’s Fishman Center for Entrepreneurship. In his new position, Bhattacharya will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the center and will develop relationships between the college and the larger business community. Bhattacharya previously led the entrepreneurship program at Western Kentucky University.

Boone County National Bank announced several new promotions. Sarah Hanneken and Amber Myers were made trust administrators for Central Trust and Investment Co., which is located in the BCNB building; Brittany Festog was promoted to financial associate; Amanda Guevara and Jared Woods were both made senior tellers; and Paul Weatherford and Gary Mason were promoted to teller II.

Sansone was hired at Extra Help Inc., a payroll and workforce services company on Vandiver Drive. She will work in staffing development, helping businesses across Missouri with recruitment, staffing and payroll management.

›› Lyle Johnson Johnson was named vice president and market executive of the Commerce Trust Co., Central Missouri Region. He will lead a six-person staff and be responsible for building and maintaining client relationships. Johnson currently serves on the board of directors for MU Children’s Hospital, Alternative Community Training and the Daniel Boone Regional Library Foundation, among other activities.

›› MBS Textbook Exchange The Columbia textbook distributor has recently added and promoted staff: Jeremy Massie, GM of systems services; Sherri Shumard, director of client services; Natalie Barlor, manager POS support; Wayne Jones, manager of customer education; Josh Hendrix, director of warehouse automation; Melody Eads, client representative; Tom Taylor, inventory data analyst; and Ezra Harmon, maintenance supervisor.

18 \\\ march 2015

›› Raja Bhattacharya

›› Brian Steines

›› Kattesh Katti Katti, a University of Missouri researcher, has been working on cultivating safe medical uses for gold nanoparticles for decades and was recently recognized for his efforts with the 2015 Hevesy Medal Award. His work with radioanalytical and nuclear chemistry is being used to safely treat cancer with the nanoparticles.

MU Health Care and the MU School of Medicine hired Steines as their new CFO. Steines previously worked as the vice president of financial operations at Scottsdale Lincoln Health Network’s Arizona Market and also as an executive in several other health care organizations. He earned his MBA in health care administration from the University of Phoenix and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona.

›› Sarah Grim

›› Janice Serpico

Halls, previously known in Columbia for his coordination of the first South East Craft Beer Festival last August, has been named high end brand manager at N.H. Scheppers. Halls will oversee brand promotion events for the beverage distributor’s craft beer brands at bars, grocery stores and restaurants. CBT

MFA Oil hired Serpico as vice president of human resources. She joins MFA after 30 years in human resources, most recently with Scientific Games Corp. in Chicago. Serpico graduated from the MU College of Business with a degree in accountancy.

Grim was announced as the new CEO of Welcome Home, a temporary shelter for veterans in Columbia. She comes on board amidst Welcome Home’s capital campaign to establish a new facility on Business Loop 70. Welcome Home plans to build its new facility on the property currently occupied by Deluxe Inn.

›› Jacob Halls

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 19

Briefly in the News

›› A rundown of this month’s top headlines

Alex Trebek Alex Trebek, most famous for his longtime role as the host of Jeopardy!, and his wife, Jean, will be funding a faculty position for Stephens College’s new Master of Fine Arts in TV and Screenwriting.

30th annual Taste of Mid-Missouri The Mid-Missouri Restaurant Association will host its 30th annual Taste of MidMissouri March 16 at the University of Missouri Alumni Center on the MU campus.

Proceeds from ticket sales and raffle will go toward scholarships for students in the MU hospitality management program. The association has already given out more than $150,000 in scholarships to students in the program. Advance tickets are available for $25 at The Heidelberg, Hy-Vee and Schnucks. Tickets will be sold at the door for $30.

everyEventGives Local company EveryEventGives beat its seed fundraising goal by 40 percent, according to the company’s CFO Greg Wolff.

EveryEventGives offers independent event planners and nonprofit organizations the opportunity to sell tickets and give 50 cents of the fees for every ticket sold to the charity of the event host’s choice.

westminster college

Westminster College recently received accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs for the John E. Simon Business Department in January. The college hopes the new accreditation will help bolster the school’s reputation among prospective students, faculty and donors.

20 \\\ march 2015

apple pay Boone County National Bank will now offer Apple Pay to its patrons, with the projected start date around the end of February. All BCNB MasterCard debit and credit cards will be accessible on compatible devices through the Passbook app.

“The ultimate idea is that you would have less stuff to carry,” says Mary Wilkerson, senior vice president of marketing at BCNB. “We see electronic payment in the next generation of payment options, and we are trying to be on the cutting edge of that.”

REDI/DBRL Regional Economic Development Inc. and the Daniel Boone Regional Library have signed a memorandum of understanding to partner to provide support to new and emerging businesses in Columbia and Boone County.

Through the agreement, the two organizations hope to better support small businesses by providing reference, training and data support.

boone county 911 Moody’s Investors Service issued an Aa2 rating for the special obligation bonds being used to fund a new 911 call center for Boone County. Aa2 is the third-highest rating offered by the service. The bonds were sold through a competitive offering on Jan. 22. The call center, to be constructed north of Columbia near the Boone County Sheriff’s Department, is expected to cost more than $14 million, with $13.1 million coming from the special obligation bonds.

What’s happening

urology

Columbia Values Diversity Columbia CROP Hunger Walk and Robert Harrison Sr. were recognized during this year’s 18th Annual Columbia Values Diversity Celebration on Jan. 15 at the Holiday Inn Expo Center. Awards are presented by the Columbia Office of Cultural Affairs to those who have made significant contributions promoting appreciation for diversity and cultural understanding in Columbia.

The theme for this year’s ceremony was “Harmonious Voices in a Diverse Community” and included presentations exhibiting diversity in the community, readings from the Student Writings Program, live music and the presentation of the awards. Around 960 people attended the event.

derby dames

Following a $15,000 fundraising effort, the CoMo Derby Dames are returning to Columbia after a three-year stint in Jefferson City.

unclaimed property Boone County Treasurer Nicole Galloway announced that unclaimed property returns have grown 33 percent, to $19,856 in 2014 over 101 returned accounts, signifying a new record. Boone County operates Missouri’s only county-based online unclaimed property system, to which Galloway credits the improvements. About $55,000 of unclaimed property remains in Boone County, including uncashed checks issued by the county. More than $7,000 was returned to businesses and more than $12,000 to individuals. Returns ranged from 15 cents to $2,740.

Urology Associates of Central Missouri merged with Missouri Cancer Associates earlier this year. Following the merger, Urology Associates will now be affiliated with the U.S. Oncology Network, a nationwide network of 1,000 independent community-based cancer physicians spanning medical and radiation Mark Tungesvik oncology, surgery and urology.

“By Missouri Cancer Associates and Urology Associates joining forces in the fight against cancer, patients now have the luxury of participating in a seamless flow of care by the largest and most experienced cancer center in mid-Missouri,” says Mark Tungesvik, a medical oncologist at MCA.

LaQuist+Solea Water LaQuist, a local business owned by Lauren Rundquist, has teamed up with Solea Water. LaQuist, which sells hand-painted custom shoes, will create a custom shoe line.

For every pair sold, $15 will go toward Solea Water’s clean water projects in Latin America, and TOMS One for One Movement will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. The line became available Feb. 1.

Veteran’s United home loans Veterans United Home Loans will be one of the 50 companies honored by the Achievers 50 Most Engaged Workplaces Award at the awards gala on March 11 in Las Vegas.

blind boone The 2015 Blind Boone Piano Concert Series began on Jan. 26 and will feature six shows throughout the year running through midSeptember. CBT columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 21

A Professional Knows When it’s Best to Use One. We’re all for a “can do” spirit but choosing, measuring and installing window coverings is best left to the pros.

WE’VE BEEN BUSY BEAUTIFYING OUR WORK SPACE, AND NOW IT’S FINISHED! REMODEL REVEAL & OPEN HOUSE WHEN: March 4, 2015 4-6 p.m.

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The Business Times Company now opens its doors and welcomes you to its newly remodeled space!

22 \\\ march 2015

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A Closer Look

New Businesses in

1. AboutFace Photo Booth and Rentals LLC

3. Mid-Mobile Notary Services LLC

5. Belle Mariee

4. Ms. Kim’s Fish and Chicken Shack

6. Craft Beer Cellar

›› A quick look at emerging companies

AboutFace Photo Booth and Rentals LLC is dedicated to making parties and special events more memorable. The woman-owned small business provides a variety of photo booth services including open-air booths with backdrops, a green screen with the ability to customize backdrops and a traditional photo booth. AboutFace’s services also include the option to instantly share photos on social media, a props and accessories box and a memory book for $75. Photo booth rental is available by the hour, and AboutFace also offers face-painting services by the hour. Its rentals are designed to complement any event, from birthdays to bridal showers to fundraisers.

Contact: AboutFace Photo Booth & Rentals LLC, 805-720-0385

2. Supplement Superstore The first franchise location of Supplement Superstore has opened in Columbia. Supplement Superstore carries a wide variety of supplements including amino acids, creatine, fat burners, proteins, post-workout and multivitamins.

All employees are certified sports nutrition specialists, N.A.S.M.-certified personal trainers and N.A.S.M. fitness nutritionists. “Over the last few years my passion for nutrition and fitness has gotten even bigger, and no company does it better than Supplement Superstores,” current manager and franchiser Phillip Stewart says on the store’s website. “I get to wake up every day, do what I love, help people get to their goals and make as big of an impact I can on people’s lives. I can’t imagine anything better.”

Contact: Phillip Stewart, 573-442-6017

A new local service provides customers with onsite representation for a variety of documentsigning needs. Mid-Mobile Notary Services conducts in-home purchase and refinance real estate closings and individual document signings.

Columbia resident Craig Baer, who is a former manager and loan officer of a major national bank as well as a former owner of a loan-processing company, founded the business. Mid-Mobile Notary Services offers services ranging from $20 for a personal document signing to $125 for an in-home mortgage refinance signing. “Borrowers today have more obligations during business hours than in the past,” Baer says. “I come to their home after hours and conduct the signing at their convenience. For lenders and title companies, I add value to the services they can offer.”

Contact: Craig Baer, 573-268-1079

A new restaurant on Vandiver Drive is bringing homemade, Southern-style comfort food to Columbia. Ms. Kim’s Fish and Chicken Shack is family owned and operated by the Perry family and specializes in serving fresh fried chicken and catfish, as well as other Southern specialties such as frog legs. Formerly known as the Mississippi Fish Shack, the restaurant reopened under a new name after it had to temporarily close its old location in 2011. “We’re really wanting to stay put and build our customers back up,” says co-owner Kim Perry. Along with a new name, the restaurant added a few new homemade sides and switched its desserts from cobblers to dumplings.

Contact: Kim Joy Perry, 573-256-5467

3 1

Columbia

A new bridal boutique is helping Columbia brides find the perfect dress for their big day.

Owners Jessica and Josh Card decided to open the boutique after the last bridal boutique in Columbia permanently closed last year. “We are here to ensure you look exactly the way you dreamed on your big day,” Jessica and John say. A few of the brands Belle Mariee carries include Casablanca Bridal, Morilee by Madeline Gardner, Maggie Sottero and Allure Bridal. The bridal shop also offers in-house alterations and carries men’s tuxedos. The staff at Belle Mariee includes manager and buyer Natalie Bell and bride consultant Ann Bell, who have called Columbia home their entire lives and have a strong connection to the town. Belle Mariee is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and is located in the Forum Shopping Center.

Contact: Jessica and John Card, 573-815-9135

The Craft Beer Cellar, a brick-and-mortar craft beer retail store, has 13 stores open nationwide and just opened its first store in Columbia. The Craft Beer Cellar at 111 S. Ninth St. offers craft-, micro- and artisanal-brewed beers from all over the United States as well as overseas. Currently, the business has roughly 850 craft beers from 111 craft breweries and offers 16 craft beers on tap as well. The Craft Beer Cellar allows shoppers to try any of the drafts while shopping and offers fiveounce tasters, flights of four and full pours of 12 to 16 ounces, depending on the beer. The store prices each bottle of beer individually, so shoppers do not have to commit to one type of beer and are able to customize their own six-packs.

Contact: Steve Labac, Dan Campbell and Jon Steffens, 573-234-4870 CBT

5

2 4

6

➜ Are you an entrepreneur? Are you sprouting a new business? Tell us about it at Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 23

From left: Larry Woods, Emily Thoroughman, Tom Atkins (seated), John Schulte and Shaun Henry.

Photo by Anthony Jinson

24 \\\ march 2015

Business Update

meeting n e e d s

›› Transformed, trending and up-to-the-minute

The Way We Do Business At Atkins Inc., it’s all about finding needs and filling them.

By Taylor Wanbaugh Atkins Inc. has changed in more ways than one since its birth almost 90 years ago.

What started as a small janitorial company has now expanded to a thriving business with a customer base spanning a 75-mile radius around its headquarters in Columbia.

Atkins Inc., with services that range from pest control to janitorial services, is owned

by Boone County native Tom Atkins, whose grandfather started the company back in 1925.

Thomas Atkins Sr. was a farmer who got into the business of selling agricultural supplies before expanding the company to janitorial services in Columbia.

Atkins Inc. was kept in the family and eventually bought out by Tom Atkins in 1969.

“It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” Atkins says.

Atkins, who was originally in real estate, says he always liked sales and enjoyed learning about different businesses and products.

“They’ve always had a seeing-a-need-andfilling-a-need kind of approach,” says Emily Thoroughman, chief operating officer for Atkins. “It’s the crux of the business. We are always looking for new ways to help people.

Our service line has grown over the years based on that philosophy.”

A proven philosophy Thoroughman has worked for Atkins for 20 years and can attest to all the progress the company has seen over the years. When she first started at the business, Atkins was limited to just lawn care and irrigation. Since then, the company has expanded its services to include pest and wildlife management, holiday and landscape lighting, handyman services, hidden pet fence installation and commercial janitorial.

Atkins Inc. is located at 1123 Wilkes Blvd. Photo by Ben Meldrum.

“Sometimes, you have to look at the marketplace and see what’s needed,” Atkins says.

“I think we’ve been fortunate,” Thoroughman says. “When other companies have been struggling and shrinking, we have continued to grow. I think that’s a testament to both the way we do business and the vitality of our community.”

The company benefits from having such a diverse service market; it has a high cross-selling rate amongst its customer base.

“If they’ve already gotten one service from you, they’re more likely to think of you when they need something else done,” Atkins says.

“Sometimes, you have to look at the marketplace and see what’s needed.”

— Tom Atkins, owner, Atkins Inc. Atkins Inc. recently reverted back to its janitorial roots in 2009, when Atkins decided to merge the business with his other company, Tom Atkins Maintenance Management. Thoroughman says Atkins Inc. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 25

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currently employs around 350 people, having added almost 300 employees since she began work at the company 20 years ago. She says most of these employees are part of the janitorial staff, and the company has added more than 100 positions in the past two years alone.

“I think we’ve done an excellent job of creating a culture that truly values the people that are important in getting our work done,” Thoroughman says. “It’s your people who make or break you. You’ve got to have good people who feel part of something bigger than themselves.”

Atkins says the key to a successful business is having hardworking employees.

“You can’t grow a business without the right people,” he says.

APPE AL

magical season Family sanc tuary house

Page. 32

Festive home tour, fall/winter fashions, gift picks and more!

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NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

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May/Jun

Y STRONG COUNTRimate cabin The ult Page 28

WORK MEN ATthen and now

jobs, Classic Page 68

BRUARY 2015 Pages 36, 49, 89 S JOUR A HIKER'hian adventures

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Is the Jefferson City market important to your business?

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“When other companies have been struggling and shrinking, we have continued to grow. I think that’s a testament to both the way we do business and the vitality of our community.”

— Emily Thoroughman, chief operating officer, Atkins Inc. Community spirit

We can help.

JeffersonCityMag.com

26 \\\ march 2015

With an expanded workforce and new services comes a continually increasing customer base. Although 85 percent of Atkins Inc.’s lawn care and pest management customers are residential and 15 percent commercial, its janitorial clients are 100 percent commercial.

“There’s been about a 500 percent increase in customers since I started working here 20 years ago,” Thoroughman says with a laugh. “Back then, I answered the phone a lot and knew most of the customers by name.”

Shaun Henry, vice president of grounds maintenance, says one of his priorities as the organization has grown has been maintaining the small-town, close-knit customer relationship.

“My division has grown tenfold since I started with Atkins 15 years ago,” Henry says. “It’s important we don’t lose touch with the people we serve, and my team believes that as much as I do.”

Even though the business itself has undergone a metamorphosis of sorts since its humble beginnings, the hardworking employee mentality remains.

“Our mission is to be dedicated to exceptional customer service that is delivered with respect and knowledge and friendliness and community spirit,” Thoroughman says. “It’s really what gets us out of bed every day. Just being able to come in and make decisions based on what is going to contribute to that is what holds everything together.” CBT

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P.Y.S.K. Person You Should Know

›› Job description: Circuit judges preside over felony criminal cases and all types of civil cases including lawsuits in which the amount of dispute is more than $25,000.

Jodie Asel

Circuit Judge of the 13th Circuit, Division 4 (Boone and Callaway counties)

›› Years lived in Columbia/mid-Missouri: 47 ›› Original hometown: Chaffee, Missouri ›› Education: B.S. and J.D. from the University of Missouri

Age:

64

Photo by Sarah Redohl

›› Community involvement: I have served on the boards of the Missouri Circuit Judges Association, the Association of Probate and Associate Circuit Judges and the Boone County Bar. During my term as the Presiding Judge of the 13th Circuit, I was appointed by the Supreme Court to the Presiding Judges’ Executive Committee. I have served on the Supreme Court’s Judicial Education Committee continuously since 1993 and have been vice chair since 2009. I have also been a member of the Supreme Court’s Coordinating Commission for Judicial Education and served on the Supreme Court’s Family Court, Case Management, Fine Collection and Legislative committees; various committees of the Missouri Bar; and as a member of the Executive Council of the Judicial Conference of the State of Missouri for 12 years.

›› A favorite recent project: The 13th Circuit has undergone a total conversion to electronic filing. Paper files dating back several years were scanned and converted to electronic files. It took a monumental cooperative effort on the part of our judges, the Office of the Circuit Clerk, our technology staff and members of the bar to accomplish. The results have been nothing short of amazing.

›› Professional background: I graduated from law school and became licensed to practice law in 1975. I worked as an assistant prosecuting attorney and as an assistant public defender before becoming a solo practitioner. In 1991, I was appointed by the governor to fill an unexpired term as associate circuit judge. I was elected in 1992, 1994, 1998 and 2002 to four-year terms. In 2006, 2008 and 2014, I was elected circuit judge of the 13th Circuit. I began a new six-year term in January. ›› What I do for fun: I like to cook, sew, do repairs and projects around the house and spend time with family. ›› A Columbia businessperson I admire and why: I couldn’t single out one person, as I think the world of my plumber, electrician, doctor, dentist, insurance agent and a number of others with whom we do business. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 29

›› If I weren't doing this for a living, I would: If I weren’t a judge, I would no doubt be engaged in the practice of law in some capacity. ›› Why I’m passionate about my job: I never for a moment lose sight of the fact that I make decisions on a daily basis that have a profound effect on the lives of many people.

Trust. Reliability. Consistency.

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›› Family: I have been married to Don Asel for nearly 39 years, and we have three daughters: Ashley, who lives in St. Louis and is the institutional research analyst at St. Louis University; Toby, who lives in Bentonville, Arkansas, with her husband and their baby girl and works as assistant county counselor for St. Charles County, Missouri; and Mackenzie, who lives in New Hampshire and is a dermatology resident at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. ›› Accomplishment I’m most proud of: My parents (Robert and Juanita Capshaw) never had the opportunity to go to college even though my mother was valedictorian of her high school class and awarded a scholarship. Despite that, or maybe because of it, education was a high priority when I was growing up.

Four of their seven children have law degrees, and two have other advanced degrees. For their 17 grandchildren, college is the norm, and several have law and medical degrees. I am grateful that my parents raised us with an emphasis on education and proud that all my daughters have advanced degrees. ›› Favorite place in Columbia: After a day at the office or on the bench, there is no place I would rather be than my kitchen. ›› Most people don’t know that I: I am a regular at the local hardware store. I like to fix things and make things and understand how they work. CBT

YOU THINK YOU KNOW

US,BUT

YOU DON’T 120 E. Nifong (Peach Tree Plaza) | Columbia, MO 573.823.7600 | jazzercise.com columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 31

Roundtable › Al Germond

point-of-view

Back in the Mud MoDOT recently unveiled its “325 Plan” for Missouri’s 34,000-mile network of bridges and highways the agency has been charged with building and maintaining. With $325 million available for this Herculean effort, the agency says it will only have funds to care for about 8,000 miles of interstate highways and heritage federal routes, including HighAl Germond is the way 63. With little if any relief in sight host of the Columbia this is apparently an “off” year for major Business Times highway measures in the Missouri LegisSunday Morning lature — MoDOT is presumably passing Roundtable at 8:15 the buck to maintain the other 26,000 a.m. Sundays on KFRU. miles of highways to the cities, towns He can be reached at and counties through which they pass. al@columbiabusiness Fifty years ago, Kansas was abuzz times.com. about building a toll road paralleling U.S. 69 as part of a proposed interstate highway that would connect Kansas City and New Orleans. Kansas had already built a successful turnpike, and the Kansas Turnpike Authority had the financing track record through the earlier sale of bonds to build another road. This activity in 1966 led Missouri Gov. Warren E. Hearnes to propose the establishment of a Missouri Turnpike Authority that would sell bonds to finance the construction of toll roads that would then be leased to the Missouri Highway Commission, the predecessor to MoDOT. Three toll roads were proposed, all of them originating in Kansas City.

A four-lane, divided highway to Joplin paralleling Highway 71 would face off with what Kansas proposed to build, and this created immediate doubts about financing a road in Missouri. Less competitive and presumably more easily financed were turnpikes running from Kansas City northeast to Hannibal and another more diagonal toll road through the Lake of the Ozarks to the Bootheel, an opposite and logical reflection of the I-44 connection running southwest between St. Louis and Joplin.

Senate Bill 2 had a rough time in the Legislature, but the measure passed. There were doubts about financing and constitutional issues, which would lead to inevitable subsequent court challenges. Hearnes signed S.B. 2 into law on Oct. 13, 1967, but his triumph was pyrrhic and

Some entities will figure out ways to maintain their roads, while others, through no fault of their own, will watch them deteriorate.

This map shows mid-Missouri’s roadways as they were in 1935. Dotted lines indicate unpaved dirt roads. At this time, there were no direct routes from Columbia to Fulton or to Centralia as there are today.

short lived. Although a lower court upheld the measure, the Missouri Supreme Court on Sept. 9, 1968, in Pohl v. State Highway Commission doused the nascent flame of toll road activity in Missouri — perhaps in light of recent events — forever and ever and ever.

So toll roads are dead. The same goes for motor fuel tax increases. So what options are left for the hundreds and hundreds of civil divisions ranging from counties, cities, towns and villages to hamlets and open prairie that will soon have this 26,000-mile highway and bridge maintenance conundrum dumped in their laps? Not many, it would appear.

Some say let the roads crumble and turn to mud, and that would be just in time to celebrate the anniversary six years from now of Missouri’s Centennial Road Law that was enacted to get us “out of the mud.”

Some entities will figure out ways to maintain their roads, while others, through no fault of their own, will watch them deteriorate.

It has always seemed to make sense for Columbia to have complete control over Providence Road, College Avenue, Stadium Boulevard and other in-town streets presently under the aegis of MoDOT. The same goes for Boone County’s lettered “farm-to-market” roads. So how much does MoDOT spend every year to keep Columbia and Boone County’s roads and bridges in tip-top condition? It’s a number worth knowing and with that in hand might somehow coax voters already weary of taxes to shell out even more to maintain these vital elements of infrastructure. It will take a crisis of infrastructure deterioration, perhaps a series of events with tragic consequences, to stir us from this abyss. CBT columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 33

beyond

Black white

and

With tension between citizens and police across the nation at an all-time high, the CBT explores the relationship between the Columbia Police Department and Columbia’s African American population.

By Sarah Redohl and Matthew Patston

34 \\\ march 2015

On Aug. 9, 2014, 18-year-old Mike Brown was fatally shot by Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson, igniting the city into a weeklong riot. During the riot, police had suppressed agitated protesters through various crowd-control tactics: tear gas, rubber bullets, beanbag rounds. Some protesters fired gunshots; several stores had been looted. Police donned heavy armor to protect themselves from bottles and rocks hurled toward them.

Nearly two weeks later and 116.7 miles westward, an estimated 400 mid-Missouri residents staged a protest at Boone County Courthouse. It was bright and hot outside. Uniformed Columbia Police Department officers passed out water from coolers, while plain-clothed officers blended in with the crowd as they chanted and cheered.

The protest was one of four to occur in Columbia in response to the event that ignited racial tension with law enforcement in St. Louis — the event that sparked a national debate about race, rights and law enforcement.

Although not mired in crisis, Columbia would still host discussions and debates on the events in Ferguson and what it might mean for our own city.

“The death of Mike Brown and similar cases around the nation regarding police-related fatalities of black men have heightened the awareness of the issues of race that still persist in America,” says Hickman High School principal Eric Johnson. “Columbia is not excused from that conversation.”

“The first step in solving any issue is bringing it to the forefront,” Johnson adds. He addressed students the day after the decision not to indict Darren Wilson was announced. “Talking about race without making it seem like a taboo topic that can’t be addressed goes a long way. Ignoring it is far worse than addressing it.”

The ‘trust gap’

When the verdict not to indict Darren Wilson was read on Nov. 24, Missouri’s NAACP president, Mary Ratliff, upheld the plans she’d made days prior. The NAACP would not support “renegade protests,” as she called them. They would meet the following day at Second Baptist Church and prepare people to demonstrate without violence.

By this point, Ratliff, a resident of Columbia, had already spoken to Columbia Police Department Chief Ken Burton a number of times, starting with that protest in August. Although no one can know for certain why Columbia remained relatively calm, there are a lot of guesses.

“The reason there wasn’t rioting here is because we’ve been working for the past 16 months to find recommendations to violence and diving into all aspects of the relationship between the police and the com-

munity,” says Tyree Byndom, a member of the Mayor’s Task Force on Violence, which was established in August 2013.

Columbia was an early adopter of a police review board, establishing the nine-member board in 2009. In 2009, Burton established the public relations department to increase department visibility. Body cameras were introduced for the Downtown Unit in 2010, before they were a politically savvy item, and last July the department was the first in Missouri to implement them for all units.

Despite a department that appears to be keenly aware of the issues surrounding modern policing, the task force’s report still noticed that community/police trust issues were “a very clear theme.” The report reads, “The ‘trust gap’ between the African American community and police needs to be aggressively addressed by the police department and the community.” From there, the report outlines how this trust might be the most cost-effective way to solve and prevent crime in Columbia.

Mike Hayes, a retired CPD officer and member of the Mayor’s Task Force on Violence, has high hopes for the report.

“I’m confident that [City Council] will do something with it,” he says. “I hope they don’t prove me wrong and just put it on a shelf somewhere. It was brought to my attention that they’d done this before under a different mayor, I think in the ’80s or ’90s…I hope it doesn’t become a reoccurring thing.”

According to Assistant Chief of Patrol John Gordon and Assistant Chief of Investigations Jeremiah Hunter with the CPD, in order for those task force recommendations to work, it’s important that they be prioritized to account for CPD’s current resources.

The CPD saw change as a result of what happened in Ferguson. Some was good; communications between the Police Department and black residents of Columbia improved through conscious outreach efforts, according to Gordon and Hunter. More residents made the extra effort to thank officers for their service.

On the other hand, Hunter and Gordon have seen a glut of antipolice graffiti downtown, “some that says, point-blank, to kill us.” Since Ferguson, Hunter and Gordon have also given officers more freedom to choose when to pair up for patrols.

“When you’ve been a cop for a while, you can kind of feel it when it might be a bad night,” Gordon says.

“I think you’re always one step away from a situation becoming something like Ferguson.”

“One incident, one shooting,” Hunter adds. “One misconstrued action.”

‘We’re still Little Dixie, but with a paint job’ In its early years, Columbia was the primary city of a swath of land along the Missouri River domi-

In July of 2014, the Columbia Police Department became the first force in Missouri to fully implement body cameras. Back in 2010, the CPD had already equipped the Downtown Unit with the cameras as a trial run.

Burton says having the cameras downtown improved the CPD’s ability to respond to complaints. Gordon and Hunter say leading the trend is not without issue. As an early adopter, there were many policy changes that needed to be done.

“We’ve probably changed our body-worn camera policy three or four times because we’ve discovered certain things aren’t going to work well,” Gordon says.

The cameras, which are worn around an officer’s neck, must be tapped whenever an officer is dealing with an event. Because the cameras are always recording, they will save 30 seconds prior to being tapped, along with the incident. Footage, which is saved for 60 days, is also randomly reviewed.

“Even if it’s not an incident, even if it’s rude words, we want to know about it,” Burton says. Robertson, along with many black leaders in Columbia, fully supports the implementation of body cameras.

“Having more eyes on any situation is going to be better,” Robertson says.

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 35

A History of a Complicated Relationship Modern race relations in Columbia have their roots in the complicated racial history of Boone County and beyond. Using historical documents and the Columbia Police website, the CBT has constructed a timeline of the relationship between Columbia’s black community and the city in which they live.

1820 Amid a growing debate about slavery in the United States, the Missouri Compromise is passed, allowing slavery in Missouri. One year later, Missouri enters the Union.

1846 Former slave Dred Scott attempts to sue for his freedom in a Missouri court.

Despite the courts freeing other slaves on similar grounds, Scott’s case is dismissed on a legal technicality.

1853 Boone County’s first illegal hanging takes place. Hiram Young, a slave accused of raping a 15-year-old white girl, is hanged by a mob after being dragged out of jail during his trial, according to an article from the Marquette Law Review.

1857 The Missouri Compromise is declared unconstitutional in the Supreme Court case Dred Scott v. Sanford. Ruling also says persons of African descent can never be U.S. citizens.

1860 The Civil War erupts. Missouri sees internal fighting from pro-Union and pro-Confederacy units, but the state sends 70,000 more troops to fight with the North. Columbia is largely unaffected, despite bitter fighting in slave-holding Boone County, according to a Columbia Daily Tribune article.

36 \\\ march 2015

nated by slave-holding families. This cluster of counties was known as Little Dixie.

Today, race is divided most obviously by Broadway. One-third of the population in the area bound by Broadway, Stadium Boulevard, I-70 and College Avenue is black. Throughout Columbia, only 11 percent of residents are African American, according to census data aggregated by city-data.com.

“Columbia was called Little Dixie for a reason,” says William “Gene” Robertson.

“Some may deny it, but today, we’re still Little Dixie, but with a paint job. There are still all sorts of divisions and hierarchies.”

Robertson was the second black professor at the University of Missouri. He was hired just three years after the first, Arvarh Strickland. He taught urban planning and community and organizational development. To this day, Robertson writes about race for the Columbia Missourian.

“Police outcomes — the whole judicial system — just reflect the value system Columbia formerly had,” he says.

The outcomes Robertson mentions include the increased rate at which African Americans are stopped by police (2.29 to 0.91 for Caucasians). That number is higher in Columbia’s surrounding communities, between 2.46 in Centralia and 12.68 in Hallsville.

Gordon with the CPD says this has more to do with crime statistics than it does with race.

“In the areas that ask for our services the most, part of the policing method is to stop cars and find out who’s coming in and out of the area,” he says. “Of our hard crime areas, the majority of them are low-income areas that contain African Americans.”

Robertson attributes unbalanced racial outcomes to deep-rooted stereotypes: the ones that rarely surface in controlled situations.

“If you gave police officers a test, they’d express their feelings intellectually,” Robertson says.

Despite his position as an 80-year-old professor emeritus at MU, Robertson says even he “gets ready to have a crisis experience” when he sees red and blue lights in his rearview mirror.

“What the black community sees on the surface is a disproportionate number of arrests,” says Johnson at Hickman. “They feel the sting of microaggressions when eyes follow them around, and they feel the

discomfort of ‘knowing’ other people prejudicially question their intentions.”

“Even I, the principal of a high school, am not excused from the microaggressions that plague the lives of black people,” he continues. “This is not just a law enforcement concern in Columbia. It is a concern of social inequity nationwide.”

Others, such as Devont’e Daniels, a young black man who lives in north Columbia, feel the need to record their interactions with police officers on cellphones. Black youth in Columbia have a mantra: “Free the town.”

The mantra is directly related to African Americans’ experience with the judicial system, Byndom says.

“It’s going to take a lot of work to make African Americans less suspicious of the Police Department,” Ratliff says. Perhaps Byndom sums it up best.

“Because the relationship is so frayed, it’s more difficult to come to resolutions that are good for both sides,” he says.

Community policing, a bigger price tag

Around 15 years ago, the CPD began a community policing campaign. Community policing is the act of allocating police officers to particular areas so they become familiar with the local inhabitants.

According to Hayes, the idea of community policing was active in Columbia long before then.

“We even had community policing when I was a kid growing up in Columbia, only we didn’t call it that,” he says.

When the formal community policing initiative began 15 years ago, Hayes says there were enough officers per capita to sustain those efforts.

“Now they’re just going from call to call,” he says. “They’re so busy.”

In 2000, there were 1.5 officers per 1,000 people. In 2014, there were 1.42 officers for every 1,000 residents, according to CPD Uniform Crime Reporting data. Since authorized strength per 1,000 has been recorded (2000), the highest it has been was 1.59 per 1,000 in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. The lowest it has been was 1.4 in 2013.

In 2003, the earliest year for which call volume was recorded in the UCR data, each officer answered around 482 calls for service, compared to almost 478 in 2014.

Then, two years ago the CPD assigned two officers to the Douglass Park area to practice

only community policing. The results were so positive that despite criticism from timestrapped police officers, Burton decided to continue community policing in the Douglass Park area.

Ultimately, that was the goal when the CPD aimed for funding for 50.8 new cops in last November’s ballot initiative, which failed.

The average CPD investigator currently carries 63 active cases. Hunter says the ideal number would be between seven and 12.

To effectively institute community policing throughout Columbia, Burton says his officers would need to set aside one-third of their time for “discretionary activities,” such as community policing.

“Right now they spend half their time responding to calls and the other half doing administrative work resulting from those calls,” he says. “Right now, we’re having to be reactive instead of proactive.”

“Our core responsibilities are to respond to calls for service and to investigate crime,” Gordon says.

The pair of officers in Douglass Park have 100 percent discretionary time — they don’t respond to calls. Officers Jameson Dowler and Andy Meyer, known as Starsky and Hutch in their beat, play baseball with kids in the park and are on a first-name basis with residents in the area. The residents even threw one of the officers a birthday party at the park.

The Downtown Unit is another example of community policing.

According to Ratliff, community support for the finances required for community policing is stuck in a chicken-orthe-egg dilemma.

“There are a lot of citizens who want [the CPD] to show us they’ll do things better, and then maybe we’ll support more police officers,” she says.

Gordon says the chief put it best.

“He said, ‘The citizens of Columbia will choose what type of law enforcement they want for this community,’” Gordon says.

“If they want plan A, it’s going to cost this much, and so on.” Community policing just comes with a bigger price tag.

Johnson recalls experiencing community policing when he grew up in inner city Kansas City. He thinks resolving the issue will require at least three steps: Approach the problem with honesty, participate in practices that restore relationships and community rather than punitive practices, and hire more minority police officers.

“Although it will not automatically improve relationships, I think having individuals who can speak to the experience of underserved minority groups who are overrepresented in the legal system can impact community perception to a certain extent,” he says.

Six percent of CPD’s officers are black, compared to 11.3 percent of Columbia’s population, according to the 2010 census. Burton says the department isn’t seeing many applications from African Americans. Ratliff attributes this to African Americans feeling as though police officers are more suspicious.

“And they don’t want to be a part of that,” she says.

To address this, the Police Department plans to recruit at historically black universities. And though there have been informal conversations about methods to develop an interest in local black youth to become police officers, no formal plans have been made.

Hayes says most officers in his day had previous inroads to the police force. They didn’t just “decide one day” they wanted to be a police officer. For him, his first inroad was being a part of a baseball team sponsored by the CPD. “I would bet that the [school resource officers] and Starsky and Hutch have helped,” Burton says.

1908 Columbia Police move into a new building on Seventh and Walnut.

1864 The passing of the 14th Amendment overturns the Scott v. Sanford decision.

1923 The last lynching takes place in Columbia. James Scott is taken from jail and hanged from Stewart Street Bridge while awaiting trial for the rape of 14-year-old Regina Almstedt. The leaders of the mob are later cleared of all charges.

1938 Lloyd Gaines is denied entry to the MU School of Law because of his race. After winning a Supreme Court case that led to the establishment of Lincoln University’s law school, Gaines disappeared while living in Chicago.

1940s Columbia hires its first black police officer, Officer E.O. Boone. Boone resigns in 1948.

Late 1950s Columbia undertakes an urban renewal project. Sharp End, a black community north of Broadway, is largely torn down and restructured. A Vox magazine article from 2011 describes several black businesses and homes being displaced.

1982 Columbia hires Fontella Ford, the first black female police officer. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 37

1982 Columbia hires William Dye, the first black police chief. He resigns in 1987.

1998 The Police Department establishes the Community in Action team to address certain high-crime areas in the city.

2005 Officer Molly Bowden is shot and killed while performing a routine traffic stop.

Bowden is the first Columbia Police officer to be killed in the line of duty, according to the CPD website.

2009 Ken Burton becomes police chief. He establishes the Public Relations Unit and the Downtown Unit and introduces geographic-based policing, a form of community policing.

2010 The MU Black Culture Center is vandalized during Black History Month. Vandals litter the front lawn of the center with cotton balls.

Body cameras are introduced for the Downtown Unit.

2012 The department launches a social media campaign to better connect with the community.

2014 Mike Brown is shot by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson, setting off national debate about race and police force.

All CPD units are given body cameras. The department is the first in Missouri to adopt the cameras for all units.

38 \\\ march 2015

one with no training or that we might be considered guilty until According to the The final trust-related recMayor’s Task Force proven innocent,” Hayes says. ommendation from the on Violence, greater Burton says he doesn’t task force calls for “greater cultural competency think Columbia needs a police public involvement and training should also be review board. accountability.” required for the police “In reality, I don’t think Columbia first estaband should be reviewed they’ve got a lot to do,” he says. lished a police review by an independent “But if the citizens think we board in 2009. In February, third party. The task need it, then we need it.” a St. Louis city committee force also recomBurton says there were only approved a civilian police mended there be a a couple complaints last year. review board, though a greater focus on police Andrew Fisher, a graduate final vote isn’t expected appreciation from the sociology student at MU, has community, including until August. studied the relationship between offering the best pay Steve Weinberg, a proand benefits to attract minority communities and the fessor emeritus of the the best officers. police. He also serves on the Missouri School of Jourpolice review board in Columbia. nalism and widely pubHe was appointed in 2012. lished author of articles “Since I’ve been on the board, we haven’t and books, many pertaining to the crimihad a flurry of complaints,” Fisher says. “There nal justice system, was appointed to the first isn’t a stark notice of, ‘Oh, it’s a certain race or review board. certain class complaining about police.’”

“A lot of people in Columbia, especially “The reason the board is bored is because African Americans, did not trust the police we’re taking care of our complaints internally,” in town,” he says. “The cases we got weren’t Burton says. He credits this to a more proacall from African Americans, but most of tive approach to discipline. The CPD’s policies them were.” have been reviewed and streamlined, though The most memorable case for Weinberg he still allows room for police discretion. was a use-of-force case, where six of the nine “Police officers like bright-line rules: members of the review board disagreed with Always do this, never do that,” Burton says.

Burton’s decision that the use of force was “In reality, it’s not that easy.” He recounts an not excessive. officer who pulled over an 80-year-old woman Despite that majority, Burton did not at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday. She’d forgotten to pay change his mind even after the review board a $25 citation, and the officer handcuffed her took its decision to the city manager. It was and put her in the back of the squad car. one of two cases Weinberg can recall dur“That was policy, but that’s not what I ing his tenure that made it to the city manwanted him to do in that situation,” Burager’s desk. ton says. “He might have asked the woman Following the decision, Weinberg attended to park and lock her car and taken her in the a police union meeting in an attempt to front seat of the squad care and directly to explain the board’s decision. the judge. I want our officers to do the right “The attitude of the police officers I’d thing, at the right time, for the right reason.” encountered while on the board was, ‘How “If you are on patrol one night, and you dare you people on this police review board need to hit someone in the head with a second-guess us,’” Weinberg says. brick — whatever you need to do to go The most common complaint from home at the end of your shift — you need police officers that Weinberg can recall to do,” he says. “Sometimes it’s not going was that the officers didn’t want to have to to be in policy, but if you can tell me why think about potential repercussions from you needed to do it, and the reason is valid, the review board when they’re making timethat’s OK. You have a lot, a lot of discretion sensitive decisions in the field. Another out there.” concern was that those on the board However, that’s not a sentiment all share. wouldn’t understand the inner workings of From some perspectives, more needs to be law enforcement. done. Byndom recalls an instance when he was “My concern with the review board was pulled over. that we were going to be judged by some-

Up For Review

“[The officer] was like, ‘Shots have been fired,’ and he was acting very secretive and scared,” he says. “How can you do your job when you’re so scared? You’re going to make mistakes,” mentioning his service in the Marine Corp.

“It’s not your job to make sure you get home,” he says. “It’s your job to protect and serve. If you’re fearful, you need to get a new job.”

think part of it is Mizzou students not having the resources to reach out to the community. … I can’t help you if I don’t know what your problem is.”

“There is, I think, a lack of conversation about race relations in Columbia,” Fisher says. “It’s just not there, for whatever reason, you know, so I think it’s lacking these kinds of dynamics.”

Robertson agrees. He’s been in Chipping away at the ‘blue shield Columbia long enough to identify of silence’ trends. Although he says ColumBurton wants to be a modChief Burton came to Columbia in bia’s black residents used to have el for other police forces.

2009 from Arlington, Texas. Shortly common avenues to discuss curAlready, Columbia Police after he took office, the CPD was rent issues facing the community officers have been asked involved in the Whitworth SWAT — T & H Restaurant stands out in to present in St. Louis and Kansas City about impleraid, in which officers ran a search his mind — he says that’s no lonmenting body cameras. warrant at a home and shot two dogs. ger the case.

Having other departments One of Burton’s policies is “when “People only really want to have look to Columbia requires you’re wrong, admit it.” And so he did, these celebrations and parades, being ahead of the trends. addressing and implementing policy for MLK Day or whatever,” he says. changes following that raid.

But socioeconomic fractionaliza“I got some criticism for saying we tion, he says, has divided the black shouldn’t have run that warrant the community in Columbia.

“I have a friend,” he says, “who called me after a way we did,” Burton says. “Internally, they said, ‘We’ve black man shot someone. He asks me, ‘How does that always run them that way,’ and I said, ‘Well, we’re not make us look?’ And I told him, ‘It doesn’t make you running them that way anymore.’”

He faced another onslaught of public criticism from look any different.’” his officers in 2011, after he fired an officer for use of “It’s human instinct to clump a group of people excessive force. into one category,” Hayes says. He’s not talking about Ratliff with the NAACP can recall one very powerful African Americans, though. He’s talking about police moment in the case, when Burton pulled out a big box of officers. “I think there’s a stereotype now. But the complaints against that officer. police aren’t there to hurt you; they’re there to pre“Burton has done better than any other police chief serve safety.”

“There’s going to be a certain percentage that no I’ve worked with,” says Ratliff, who has been president matter what you say or do have a negative view,” Hayes of the Missouri NAACP since 1991. She thinks Burton is continues. “Then you have the majority who don’t base slowly chipping away at what she calls “the blue shield their opinions on a single interaction. They don’t lump of silence.”

Robertson agrees. He thinks Burton has been “a posall police officers into one group.” Although he’s talking sible ray of hope” to address these issues. about community stereotypes of police officers, it’s a “There are a lot of things that the department can statement that can be more widely applied. reassess to do things better,” Gordon says. “Don’t judge ‘It’s better than not fighting at all’ the Columbia Police Department on their past actions.

On the night the decision was made not to indict DarJudge them on their current actions.” ren Wilson, MU for Mike Brown marched on City Hall.

A community divided Daugherty recalls members of the community streamColumbia has always been somewhat divided into “resiing out to join them. The gathering featured impromptu dent” and “student” categories. According to MU 4 Mike chanting and speeches, including one made by a child Brown’s student leader, Naomi Daugherty, this divide Daugherty estimated to be about 4 years old. It was a has also resulted in an activism gap in response to Fercrystallizing moment for her. guson’s events.

“That was the moment I was sure I would not see “Part of it is that we were fighting for different the true effects of this in my lifetime,” she says. “I think things,” she says. “A lot of the MU 4 Mike Brown initiathat’s when I realized that this is going to be a lifelong tive was for policy change within the university. I also struggle, but it’s better than not fighting at all.” CBT

In 2012, the city received a third-party report it had commissioned on the status of the Police Department. The study found that the CPD suffered from low morale of its officers.

Part of the report stated: “The morale of the department is extraordinarily low… officers expressed fear that this set of conditions will lead to situations that result in injury or death to themselves or a member of the public through over or under reaction.”

Burton says, following that study, there have been significant changes.

With geographicbased policing, Hunter and Gordon also say it increases ownership and buy-in, things that “couldn’t hurt” in improving morale.

“We’ve had a couple well-timed retirements,” he says, adding that for the first time he feels 100 percent confident in all senior police force leaders.

Gordon and Hunter agree that morale has improved in past three years.

“I knew as an officer, as a sergeant, as a lieutenant, what I wanted,” Gordon says. “When I became a captain, or assistant chief, I knew if I did those things, morale would improve — and it has.”

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 39

40 \\\ march 2015

YOUR

Michael Urban and Melissa Poelling are reimagining what doughnuts in Columbia can taste and even look like at Harold’s Doughnuts, where custom creations for local businesses are on the menu, and creativity, passion and an intense pride for what they do are the driving forces behind their sweet success.

By Brandon Hoops | Photos by Anthony Jinson columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 41

Pictured: Michael Urban and Melissa Poelling

42 \\\ march 2015

F

Five minutes before 6 on a Friday morning, while winter breathes heavily on more than 50 people lined up on Ninth Street for the opening of Harold’s Doughnuts, Michael Urban stands at the front counter and pulls his iPhone out of his pocket.

Behind him, the heart of the store pumps with activity. Nine employees, all speckled in varying amounts of flour, bounce around two large wooden tables anchoring a bright kitchen.

Some glaze a few remaining doughnuts, others organize the front display, and the rest can’t help but sneak expectant glances at the crowd outside the front window. Beside him, Karli, his wife, wipes off the counter with a paper towel and says, “Four minutes.”

If Urban is exhausted from being on the go since 9:30 the night before — or from the lastminute scramble to pass the fire inspection and the preparation of almost 1,000 doughnuts — it’s hard to tell. He is poised and focused as he turns to Twitter to express how he feels at this moment: “It’s time. #HAROLDSSTORE116. Thank you, Columbia! Craft doughnuts have hit the #COMO & the @the_district!! #LoveYourCraft.”

Passion, gratitude, pride Of these emotions, squeezed into 124 characters, none is more deeply embedded in Urban’s dream of starting a small business around one of America’s favorite breakfast treats than the last one. Urban knows there is no substitute for passionate craftsmen and women: people whose hearts beat for what they do, who resist the urge of automation and give thoughtful consideration and skillful attention to the things they make and the people they serve.

Love of craft. It’s the legacy of Urban’s late grandfather, the namesake of the store, and an ingredient as essential to this new endeavor as flour, yeast or sugar. It’s why Urban gives his team so much creative freedom. It’s why the store is arranged so any customers or anyone walking by on Ninth Street can watch each step of the production process. And it’s why he is eager to work with the local community to reimagine what doughnuts in Columbia can taste and even look like.

“When we talk about Harold's store,” Urban says, “it’s about more than a doughnut and a cup of coffee. I want to show people why and how we love what we do.”

Doughnuts your way Traditional wisdom suggests a passive approach to starting a small business: pick your location,

make your products, and wait for a response.

Although Urban would have preferred to move into the store last fall, as originally planned before construction delays, he never intended to depend on a come-and-see approach alone.

If anything, there is nothing quite like moving beyond the confines of a storefront to being deeply intertwined with the community where you live and work.

Harold’s opportunity, Urban believes, is one of conversation, especially on social media. Some of his favorite connections have been made through a campaign he calls “Your Doughnut, #COMO.” The idea is simple: your doughnut, your way.

“I want to create what you want the most. If I can make 47 kinds of doughnuts, but it’s not something you want, then I have failed you. So I want to get to know you and what you want and like, then I’m going to tweak that however many times it takes for you to tell me if I’ve hit the mark.”

— Melissa Poelling, head doughnut magician, Harold’s Doughnuts Say you’re a local business or nonprofit organization or other group: Harold’s will work with you to create a unique doughnut (or doughnuts) to promote your brand or cause.

They’ll even sell them to you for a discount to allow for fundraising.

“Our hope is to dream up a doughnut that reflects who they are,” Urban says.

If it sounds too good to be true, then you haven’t met Harold’s head doughnut magician, Melissa Poelling, the person who breathed life into an old yeast-raised doughnut recipe Urban discovered in a cookbook passed down by his

mother and the person responsible for filling Harold’s with improbability and intrigue.

Want a macaroni and cheese-stuffed bismark topped with house ranch and panko? She’s got you covered.

Want a strawberry shortcake doughnut to reflect a cheer that has been used at your high school for almost 100 years? It’s in the works.

Want a gluten-free vegan doughnut with coconut? OK, give her three to four days, and she’ll have a sample for you.

“I can’t” is not a part of her vocabulary.

“I want to create what you want the most,” Poelling says. “If I can make 47 kinds of doughnuts, but it’s not something you want, then I have failed you. So I want to get to know you and what you want and like, then I’m going to tweak that however many times it takes for you to tell me if I’ve hit the mark.”

It helps that Harold’s makes everything, including sprinkles, jams and dough, from scratch. It gives the team freedom in these collaborations to experiment and create new flavors.

“Since we make everything from scratch, it’s hard to think of something that wouldn’t work,” Urban says.

Sweet dreams Poelling knows the time she spends outside of the kitchen is as essential to ensuring success as the time she spends inside of it. Before she can make an ingredient list, sketch ideas on paper or tweak flavors, she has to sit down with key players in an organization and do some dreaming.

In the case of the Battle High School doughnut, Jill Villasana, a social studies teacher, was amazed at Poelling’s ability to find the right combination of serendipity and practicality, which resulted in the creation of a Long John with a whipped peanut filling, topped in white chocolate icing and blue and gold sprinkles.

“She’s such a fun person to brainstorm with,” Villasana says. “Her enthusiasm working off our ideas was contagious, and it was amazing to watch her wrap her brain around how to make things work.”

Not to be left out of the custom doughnut craze, Jill Varns contacted Harold’s to explore the possibilities of a Hickman High School doughnut. Poelling left Hickman with four ideas to prototype, including a doughnut based on the school’s longstanding strawberry shortcake cheer as well as a Kewpie heart with purple and gold filling in the middle.

“It’s a way to make Kewpie pride tangible,” Varns says. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 43

“When we talk about Harold’s store, it’s about more than a doughnut and a cup of coffee.

I want to show people why and how we love what we do.”

— Michael Urban, owner, Harold’s Doughnuts

44 \\\ march 2015

The only unfortunate thing about all the school spirit being injected into doughnuts is that more people, especially students, can’t enjoy it. There are strict federal rules on selling food during school hours, so a limited number of faculty and staff at both schools have been the primary beneficiaries until more suitable uses for the doughnuts are determined.

This hasn’t stopped the buzz of doughnut potential from spreading through the halls at Hickman. So many people want to come to the taste test that Varns struggles to keep a manageable list. The school newspaper plans to feature the doughnuts on the front page. Even Poelling’s oldest son, a student at Hickman, likens his mom to something of a rock star, saying, “My mom’s the doughnut overlord.”

Doughnuts with friends Food has always been about the intimate connection between possibility and people for Poelling. She remembers summers on her grandmother’s farm in the heart of Kansas. On Sundays there was one goal: get the preacher to come over after church.

She can still picture a giant table, every inch covered with an assortment of pickles and relish, a plate of bread, fresh spring onions, a mound of fried chicken, a deep bowl of country gravy and, of course, multiple pies and cakes for dessert.

“Those were her Oscars,” Poelling says.

It made her grandmother happy to see others happy, and Poelling, with her playful, genuine and contagious personality, loves to do the same.

How serious does the doughnut business need to be, after all? Not only is she the kind of person who encourages laughter and even dancing in the kitchen, but she’s also quick to liken the collaborative projects to time spent on the playground.

“It’s playing with friends,” Poelling says. “It’s fun to talk about something I love with people who love what they do and finding ways to put those things together.”

This mentality was not lost on Varns, who appreciated Harold’s willingness to reach out to the community in more intimate ways.

“They don’t have a corporate feel,” Varns says. “It’s about people to people.”

These sorts of connections are why it’s hard for Urban to think of another place that would be as welcoming to a business such as Harold’s. The city has personality, more than he ever expected when he arrived in 2001 to study political science at the University of Missouri, and loves to support homegrown businesses. It’s what gives him confidence that doughnuts will be more than a fad here. It’s why he doesn’t plan to stop working with generous portions of transparency, experimentation and joy.

“When I think about diverse culture here in Columbia, I want to keep saying, ‘Let’s create, let’s innovate, let’s push the envelope,’” Urban says. “Some things will work, and some things won’t work. There will be hits that will benefit both businesses.”

But without a doubt, Urban’s favorite connection will continue to be the one he makes every Tuesday morning at home with his 3-year-old daughter, Elise.

They have a family tradition called Doughnut Tuesday, when Urban prepares her favorite selection, a sprinkle doughnut, her way, with orange sprinkles whenever possible.

It’s their chance to share together in the joy of good food and even better company, and it’s a taste of something he is confident will linger in her mind for years to come.

“We’ll see if she grows out of that,” Urban says. “But I don’t think she will.

I still haven’t grown out of my love for doughnuts.” CBT

If the CBT were a doughnut…

By Alisiana Peters For the Columbia Business Times’ own collaboration with Harold’s Doughnuts, we opened it up to you, our creative and brilliant readers, to come up with some delicious doughnut ideas.

From mid-January to Feb. 1, we collected dozens of suggestions, from guiltless and gluten-free options to quirky combinations. Here are the three CBT-approved, Harold’s-certified choices. Be sure to join us March 4 from 4 to 6 p.m. at our office at 2001 Corporate Place for a launch party to taste test our top three and cast your vote!

The CBT Kabob The CBT Kabob was inspired by Jessica Macy. “I was really trying to use the letters C, B and T with things that sounded yummy,” Macy says. “The T was harder. I had to Google things because I couldn’t get past tomato!”

The doughnut experts at Harold’s ran with her idea, and voila! A salted caramel chocolate doughnut hole, bacon and maple-glazed doughnut hole and toffee-covered doughnut hole, in shish kabob form.

Peanut Butter Bacon Banana This suggestion, from Lacy Stroessner, was inspired by rock ‘n’ roll artist Elvis Presley and Stroessner’s favorite food items. The unique combo is known to be a favorite of the musical legend.

“Those are my favorite things, and, apparently, I have something in common with Elvis,” she says.

Turtle-stuffed Long John This idea came to us from Amanda Klenke for the sweet combo’s crowdpleasing prowess.

“The idea was kind of a light-bulb moment,” Klenke says. “Long Johns are a classic doughnut that most people will eat, and I like the idea of it being stuffed for convenience.” CBT

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 45

road

By Sarah Redohl | Photo by Casey Buckman Photography

In a city with an average commute of about 15 minutes, traffic is often just a minor inconvenience. But behind the traffic signals and stop signs are dozens of traffic experts and aficionados whose goals are to minimize traffic and maximize safety.

46 \\\ march 2015

wars columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 47

W

When Dave Griggs was a child, his family lived along Highway 63, about a mile north of the 63 Diner. He attended a one-room country school. He had the same teacher for all eight years. And of the 100 or so daily cars that typically would travel Highway 63 in those days, he’d know who was driving eight out of 10 of them.

Prior to that, his family lived in the second house west of West Boulevard on Broadway. They would wash their car in the small creek at the bottom of that hill.

“Can you imagine someone doing that now?” he muses. “And just think of what’s happened on the north side of town.”

In his adult life, Griggs has sat on six or seven transportation-related boards and committees, three of them related to Interstate 70 alone. He’s a lifelong Boone County resident who can talk for hours about Columbia’s historic growth patterns.

“It’s not just getting from the north side of town to the south side of town or from Columbia to Jefferson City,” he says. “[Transportation infrastructure] is a key economic asset. We’re both cursed and blessed by our location in the U.S., at the crossroads of major north and south and east and west traffic.”

What’s CATSO?

A leader of development Where CATSO’s plan really comes in handy is providing a projection of future growth — and, if that growth occurs as planned, a way to connect it to existing infrastructure. These future growth projections are informed by a number of things, not the least of which are sewer and water lines.

“If you don’t have good sewer and water infrastructure, you aren’t going to have the subdivision,” Griggs says. “If you don’t have the subdivision, you won’t have the people. If you don’t have the people, you don’t need the streets.”

“I think most people would recognize we haven’t done a great job keeping up with our infrastructure needs,” he says.

“The dollars we spend today on new infrastructure should be based on where that growth is going to be,” Griggs adds. “It’s hard to say what gets the cart in front of the horse, but basically it’s CATSO’s job to figure out where that growth is going to be and figure out the right of way so when property is developed, the right of way is preserved, and those streets are developed.

“So CATSO, in essence, really does drive development.”

As with any good plan, CATSO’s long-term plans must also be subject to change. To illustrate this point, Griggs mentions Old Hawthorne, “which, truly, until eight or nine years ago was a farm.

“There was no dream,” he says. “Maybe Mr. Sapp someday had the vision of building a golf course and a community out there, but as far as on the radar for traffic-flow problems, there was nothing there.”

Another example, he says, is the selection of a location for a school.

“When a school system is looking to locate a new school and picks a pasture off of St. Charles Road, it completely and very quickly changes the dynamic of infrastructure needs,” he says. “Until the high school came into the picture, it was just a little two-lane, hardly paved country road. Now it will need to be a pretty significant arterial street. And how do you get the right of way to do that? How do you eliminate the curves in the road? How do you get it above the floodplain there by the golf course?

“You can plan the best you can, but you can’t anticipate things like that,” Griggs says.

“[Transportation infrastructure] is a key economic asset. We’re both cursed and blessed by our location in the U.S., at the crossroads of major north and south and east and west traffic.” — Dave Griggs

Griggs spent one and a half years on the Columbia Area Transportation Study Organization, or CATSO, while serving as county commissioner.

Created in 1964 by the governor of Missouri, CATSO became responsible for “ensuring a coordinated transportation process” within the Columbia metropolitan area, according to Trent Brooks, an area engineer for the Missouri Department of Transportation.

CATSO includes both a technical committee comprised of planners, engineers and other transportation professionals and a coordinating committee, or policy-making committee, of upperlevel city and county staff members and representatives from a variety of other transportation entities, including MoDOT. The group meets quarterly and must prepare a long-range transportation planning document every five years. The next plan, for 2045, is scheduled for completion by February 2019, according to Mitch Skov. The senior planner works in the planning division of Columbia’s Community Development Department. His office on the fifth floor of City Hall is covered with poster-sized maps and 12-inch piles of traffic reports.

Skov has worked on these sorts of projects for more than 25 years. The most recent plan, for the year 2040, was his fourth and provides recommendations on all forms of transportation in the Columbia metropolitan

“Usually what happens is a city gets so much delay during rush hour that people begin to find it ridiculous and call for something to be done,” Bitterman says. At traffic operation centers, someone sits and watches traffic flow and implements preprogrammed plans to keep traffic moving through that particular situation.

Columbians’ rush hour commute averages 16.6 minutes.

48 \\\ march 2015

planning area, including estimated costs of all projects it recommends as well as projected revenues available by that date for each of the involved jurisdictions. However, the plan includes many projects for which no funding has been reserved. These plans have set the right of way for many of Columbia’s most traveled roads: for example, the transition of a twolane country road into Grindstone Parkway.

Drawing lines Ultimately, CATSO provides an outlet for discussion by various entities that play a part in traffic management, which has a lot of solid yellow lines and “Do not enter” signs.

For example, most people might not know that MoDOT manages Providence, Stadium and College Avenue or that I-70 and Highway 63 are federal highways, according to Brooks with MoDOT.

“Most roads are the responsibility of one jurisdiction,” Brooks says. However, there are some roads that Keep up to date with are shared. Some are the latest traffic and even split into two accident announcejurisdictions by the ments with Nixle road’s center line. alerts. Columbia is one Brooks says most of of more than 7,000 public safety and those shared roads are government agencies in the peripheral area utilizing the commuaround Columbia. nication system. Visit “If a curb sign was gocolumbiamo.com/ knocked down on Nixle to sign up. the city’s side of the road, the city would fix it,” Scott Bitterman says. “If it’s not in the city, the county would take care of it. If it’s something that requires both sides of the road, like a new asphalt surface, we would look at the percentages of the roadway in the city and county and work out a cost-share agreement.”

Although Bitterman now works as the city’s supervising engineer, he got his start with MoDOT. “I was the guy with the ‘Stop’ and ‘Slow’ signs,” he says.

Then, he went to college to become an engineer and found he really enjoyed roadwork. The street division employs between 50 and 60 people, including garage custodians, meter technicians, parking enforcement agents, traffic engineers and more.

“Basically, anything to do with streets is our job,” Bitterman says.

When it comes to roads such as Providence — state roads running right through Columbia — things are a little less cut and dry. For example, state roads such as Providence that cross Columbia city streets require coordination. One computer runs each intersection; so for instance, at College Avenue and Walnut, MoDOT maintains that computer and signal.

“Usually the intersection is maintained by whichever jurisdiction’s road carries more traffic through that intersection,” Bitterman says.

‘Problem’ areas Bitterman would be among the first to admit what most Columbians already know: Some of Columbia’s intersections need work. Stadium and Providence, despite current plans to extend a southbound-towestbound right turn lane, is among the first to come to mind.

Another problem area?

“Fairview and Worley,” Bitterman says. That’s back behind the Columbia Mall; it’s two T intersections. “If you hit that at the wrong time of day, you’ll be sitting there for a long time.”

Although Bitterman and his co-worker, traffic engineer Lee White, can point out many areas that need work, he’s more hesitant to point out areas of success.

“We’re engineers,” White says. “We optimize. It’s just what we do.

“Each intersection is different, and each intersection has its problems,” he adds, but he wraps up with a true engineer’s answer. “All problems have a solution; it’s just a matter of getting to them.”

Sgt. Curtis Perkins, who heads up the Columbia Police Department’s traffic unit, says the area he considers the most improved is where Stadium crosses I-70. He says the most problematic area now is the 70-63 interchange. According to Bitterman, the 63 Connector is the only U.S. Highway interchange to an interstate in Missouri that is still controlled with traffic signals.

“Can the 63 Connector be fixed?” Perkins asks. “Yes, but at what cost? Ultimately, road improvements come down to one thing: money.”

Progressing the plan Some of the plans, like the extension of Stadium beyond Highway 63 and According to Bitterlooping back to I-70, have man, stop signs are not been on numerous longconsidered a trafficterm plans and remain calming mechanism. incomplete.

“If it’s an unwarranted “It’s so expensive,” stop, and people feel they shouldn’t have to Griggs says, gently shaking stop there, what people his head. “It’s not feasible.” tend to do is increase He folds his arms and their speed along the leans forward. rest of the street.”

“Government has a great way of kicking the can down the road, and the federal government has the best punters,” he says.

Griggs credits MoDOT’s improvements over the past few years to money that was generated by a bonding program passed in 2008. “If they have enough money to maintain the roads they’ve built now, it will be a miracle in my humble opinion.

“The CATSO plans are going to be followed,” Griggs says, “but it’s going to be more in pieces than it has been because of lack of funding.” Those bits and pieces, he says, will be driven by developers’ plans.

“If there’s a street put in a subdivision, the developer paid for that street,” Griggs says. “The reason Providence Road is in sections on the north side of town is because the city required the developer to build that section of the street as part of his development cost.

“I think some members of City Council don’t think developers pay for those things,” he adds.

when instances arise Another of White’s responsibilities is to keep traffic calm in neighborhoods, with the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program, where neighborhoods can be involved in solutions for their own traffic problems.

“We hold meetings just to go over the advantages and disadvantages of various traffic-calming devices,” Bitterman says.

For example, speed bumps might not always be the best solution for speeders because they also slow down emergency vehicles. “And if you’re a light sleeper living nearby, that thump thump might keep you awake all night,” Bitterman says.

Other instances are often reported by police. In fact, the office of Sgt. Perkins is one of the numbers listed for the traffic hotline. He says his unit spends a good deal of time dealing with citizen complaints, in addition to identifying problems themselves.

“They have up-to-the-minute knowledge of collisions, and if there’s something they perceive as unsafe, they’ll notify us,” Bitterman says.

“For example, if a new business is opening, and they have a lot more people parking on a particular street, they’ll notify us, and we may change the parking situation.”

“It’s encouraged within our unit for officers to identify problem areas with lots of accidents or traffic issues within the areas they’re responsible for,” Perkins says. “Whenever we’re having problems, we look at whether it’s an enforcement issue, an education issue or an engineering issue.”

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 49

“No one sits in a storm pipe thinking of ways to improve it. You just tell them how you’re going to fix the pipe, and they believe you. Everybody drives, so everyone thinks they understand traffic considerations.” — Wes Bolton, traffic consultant, Allstate Consulting In the case that the developer’s construction project was something the city was already planning to do, Wes Bolton, a traffic consultant with Allstate Consultants, says the developer and the city come up with a plan to both pay in.

“If the city was planning to fix this, and the developer was required to do something, then we may have the money to implement the ultimate scenario right off the bat,” Bolton says.

Sometimes even the developer doesn’t have the money to make the transportation changes it needs. For example, the transportation development district by Conley has already designed and bid a project to connect Business Loop 70 and Conley Road, “but the bids come back higher than the funds they’ve got to do it.”

No money, no roads.

Traffic management Lee White is probably one of only a few people who smiles when he talks about traffic. He just might be the only person to excitedly ask if he can tell you more about “yellow and all-red,” when, after a traffic signal turns from yellow to red, all signals remain red for a few seconds to minimize traffic accidents in the event that someone does run a yellow light as it turns red.

He’s also very patient and takes the time to To fully utilize fully explain HAWK beacons (High-Intensity adaptive signals, Activated crossWalK). It’s basically a sevenWhite says fiber to step pedestrian crosswalk system, similar but each signal cabimore intense than the one by Broadway and net will be necesWaugh. Two HAWK beacons are to be placed sary “to make sure on College Avenue, one between Rosemary and they can connect Wilson, the other between Bouchelle and Ross. and talk,” he says.

In addition to reviewing construction and Although there is development plans and analyzing traffic impact no target date for studies, White implements new technology to the completion of that project, White handle traffic concerns. It’s his job to find yelsays they have a low and all-red and HAWK beacons — and trafplan they continue fic in general — fascinating. to work through.

Although most of Columbia’s lights have detectors, one of the newest technologies 50 \\\ march 2015

has been the use of adaptive signals. Typical detectors are all or nothing, meaning, if there is one car waiting, for example, to turn left, the detectors knows it, and the car will get a green arrow on its next turn. With adaptive technology, that single car turning left might get skipped once or twice while the light serves higher-demand paths. If you frequently drive Grindstone, this is something you’ve likely experienced. Scott Boulevard, Chapel Hill and the lights by the Columbia Mall also have adaptive sensors, and a handful more were added to Stadium in February.

“It’s just a matter of funding them,” White says. Only a handful of lights have adaptive signals, but most lights have some form of detectors — except downtown.

“An older signal, like the ones downtown where traffic patterns have been established for decades, they don’t have sensors,” he says. Downtown also has the added element of high pedestrian traffic, which isn’t conducive to sensors.

“Just because there are not vehicles doesn’t mean there are no pedestrians,” Bitterman says.

Columbia already has coordinated lights “everywhere we can,” White says, which allow cars to move through multiple green lights in a row. To make sure the lights are timed appropriately in the first place, White has a grueling task: traffic counts at each intersection to determine how many people are going each direction through the intersection at different times of day.

To conduct traffic He tries to conduct 12-hour traffic counts, White uses either a count board counts, which he splits with Chris Valleroy, or the TurnCount a senior engineering technician. app ($30) on a “It’s tough,” he says. “I counted tablet, though he Broadway, which sees more than 30,000 prefers the old count vehicles in a day. And I had to count board because it’s them — for 12 hours.” That’s not includmore familiar to him. ing the pedestrians, which he also needs to count.

Construction from A to Z Because development trends drive road construction, local traffic and roadway jurisdictions must work very closely with private industry.

According to Bitterman, the city works with a variety of consultants, many from Columbia, others from St. Louis and Kansas City and a parking consulting firm in Chicago.

Bolton says they work both on projects for municipalities, such as the City of Columbia, or act as staff engineers for smaller municipalities, including Ashland, Chillicothe and New Bloomfield, in addition to the work they do with private organizations.

“We get approached by someone developing a tract of land, and we work with them to figure out the best way to provide them with transportation infrastructure,” Bolton says. “We’re kind of the intermediary between the city and the developer.”

Traffic studies are done by a third party, such as Allstate, and then reviewed by the city or whichever jurisdiction the development will be located in.

Suspected traffic implications — often correlated with size — are what best determine whether a traffic study will need to be completed. White says in a busy month the department might get three projects that require a study, but Bolton says not all developments need one.

“Sometimes a traffic professional can determine that a development won’t have a huge impact,” he says.

“For example, a drive-thru bank or a fast-food restaurant will produce a really high amount of traffic, while an office building sometimes doesn’t.”

For those fast-food restaurants, banks and other high-traffic developments, Bolton says his job often includes explaining how roadway configuration can impact business.

“If you want to get Chinese food in a development, and you have to sit at a light for 45 seconds and then weave in and out of 17 stores, you’re probably just going to go somewhere else,” he says. “Sometimes a developer may not want to do any traffic improvements even though it would be best for their development.”

Sometimes, he says, a developer will have a layout in place that works well for the development but is poorly configured for transportation. In some of those cases, Bolton says his hands are tied; there’s not much he can do to improve traffic flow if the developer is set on a certain configuration, and the city approves it.

Everyone’s an expert

“We’ll turn in a traffic study that shows a development will have minor impacts on traffic or that improvements won’t be necessary for 30 years, but then someone just won’t believe you,” Bolton adds.

“I’ve been in public meetings where a consultant we work with gave this great presentation, and at the end of it, during public comment time, someone stood up and said, ‘I drive that every day, and I think you’re wrong.’”

Griggs agrees; it’s certainly not easy to understand traffic. In fact, he says for the first year he sat on CATSO, he was “pretty useless.”

“You really have to understand the history and the science of traffic studies, which sometimes totally contradicts what I think is common sense or what’s obvious,” he says.

Logically, he says, an I-70 bypass would get traffic off the existing I-70 ramp and improve safety and traffic flow for Columbia citizens. But when some “very, very smart people with very, very smart computer programs” began studying the patterns, Griggs says, they discovered it would be a pointless improvement.

“About 60 percent of traffic that goes past the intersection of Providence Road and I-70 stops in Columbia…” he says. “It might be to get a cup of coffee or to get gas. It might be a salesman stopping for the night to make 15 calls. Maybe I’m a driver making a delivery to one of the freight terminals here or picking up freight from, say, MidwayUSA, Dungarees, Columbia Foods or Quaker Oats.

“In reality, a bypass probably wouldn’t relieve any congestion because people are going to stop here anyway.”

“I think some people don’t realize the science that goes into everything behind traffic,” Bolton says. “And I get it because sometimes it just doesn’t make sense, but there’s a reason behind those traffic plans.” CBT

When Bolton talks about roundabouts and other traffic measures, he uses the word “nerdy” often. He can easily list off favorite projects and explain any road construction-related question. Those short curbs at the signal at Brickton and Trimble? They’re called “truck aprons” and provide semi-trucks more room to maneuver the turns.

What originally drew Bolton to a career in traffic consulting is a little Exit Ramp Entrance Ramp less scientific.

I-70W I-70W “Most engineering is very inside the box: A steel beam is a steel beam; it doesn’t have a mind of its own,” he says. “But human beings control traffic, and they’re going to do what they’re going to do.”

Exit Ramp Entrance Ramp And because everyone drives, I-70W I-70E traffic engineering has another specificity: a high level of scrutiny.

Curious about the diverging diamond interchange at Stadium and I-70?

“No one sits in a storm pipe You’re not alone. thinking of ways to improve it,” “MoDOT has really been at the forefront of that,” says White with the Bolton says. “You just tell them how city. Currently, there are DDIs in Springfield, St. Louis, Kansas City, Branson, Joplin, Farmington and Columbia. you’re going to fix the pipe, and they “That DDI moves as much traffic through it as a regular intersection believe you. Everybody drives, so would with eight lanes,” White says. everyone thinks they understand traffic considerations.

I-70

a good problem to have When Columbia’s local traffic experts were asked what counter-productive driving behaviors they see most often in Columbia, the most common response might surprise you.

Politeness. Yes, “the practical application of good manners or etiquette” is Columbia drivers’ worst behavior.

“I hate to say, ‘Don’t be polite’ because we’re such a nice community, and we try to help each other,” Bitterman says, “but be careful when you try to encourage someone else to cross in front of you because you may not be the only threat.”

White agrees.

“American drivers are typically very polite, regardless of what people think, especially compared to other countries, so we do see some problems stemming from politeness,” he says. “For example, if you have the right of way, and someone is trying to back out of their driveway, you’re not supposed to stop on a major street. If you have the right of way, just go.”

Bolton sees it from a different perspective.

“Especially with our work with roundabouts, people are always stopping to wave the next person to go,” he says.

“That’s really counterproductive.” Because of Columbia’s polite drivers, Bolton actually programs drivers to be more timid when he’s running a computer modeling of a new traffic stop or intersection.

“The software is from Germany, and they have everyone driving really aggressively,” he says. “It’s not accurate to how people drive here.”

But Perkins sums it up best.

“It’s hard to stop politeness.”

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 51

52 \\\ march 2015

911 Redone A much-needed, major overhaul of Boone County Joint Communications and the Office of Emergency Management is about to take place, and county officials are working together to ensure a seamless transition of the community services.

By Torie Ross | Photos by Anthony Jinson

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 53

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Imagine 14 telephone lines sitting on a desk. On the other end of every line is someone with an emergency. Now, add 28 non-emergency lines to that same desk.

For Joe Piper and his team of emergency telecommunicators, this is an everyday reality. Since Piper, deputy director at Boone County Joint Communications, started working at the 911 center 23 years ago, he’s seen countless babies delivered over the phone, the popularization of cellphones more than double the center’s call volume and, most recently, Joint Communications pass from the hands of the city to the county.

At the communications center there are two essential roles: call takers and call dispatchers. Call takers answer when a 911 call is made and then pass that information along to call dispatchers. Dispatchers then contact emergency responders. Dispatchers are also responsible for assisting responders in the field, whether it is running a background check on a suspect or running a license plate number at a traffic stop.

It’s a hectic job, one that is currently being conducted in a cramped room attached to the police station downtown off of Seventh and Broadway.

“This building was never designed for this,” Piper says. “From the day we moved in, we had growth problems.” A single desk sits in the corner of the shared police station and Joint Communications break room. This desk is the only area in the office where emergency telecommunicators can complete the regular continued training required for the job. Administrators work in tiny offices, piled high with storage. The center’s server rooms are spread out between a maze of hallways and stairwells. Joint Communication’s main storage is crammed into an unassuming corner of the Columbia Police Department’s evidence locker.

“It’s clear as soon as you step into that building that it was not made for, and it cannot meet, the center’s needs today,” says Boone County Commissioner Dan Atwill.

But that’s all about to change.

Working out logistics

In the fall of 2012, the City of Columbia proposed a major overhaul of the 911 center and the Office of Emergency Management.

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Boone County Joint Communications has 14 telephone lines and 28 non-emergency lines in its current space at the Columbia Police Station. Voters passed funding for a new 25,000-square-foot facility north of Columbia near the Boone County Sheriff’s Department in April 2013.

Until Proposition 1 was passed on the ballot in April 2013, the City of Columbia and Boone County had an agreement as far as emergency communications were concerned. The city would bear the majority of the cost, around $2 million per year, of operating the 911 center, the Office of Emergency management and all other emergency communications. Surrounding communities, as well as the Sheriff’s Department, would use Columbia’s Joint Communications and OEM centers, and in turn, Boone County would pay for the remaining operational costs. As the county and the city continued to expand, and it was clear that changes needed to be made to the way emergency communication was conducted, discussions on how the city was going to pay for updates started to arise.

“The city can’t impose taxing authority on outlying communities; they can only impose obligations within Columbia,” Atwill says. Because of this, it was decided mutually between the city and the county that an entire restructuring was needed. First, city employees working for Joint Communications and the Office of Emergency Management would become county employees. With the passing of Proposition 1, a three-eighths-cent sales tax would be imposed on the entire county, which would help bring in revenue for the new center.

Now, two years later, serious headway is starting to be made on the center’s construction. The county approved a $9.9 million bid from Little Dixie Construction in January. That same month, bonds were issued, expected to bring in more than $13 million in revenue for the project. If all goes as planned, Atwill hopes construction will be completed in early 2016.

Early estimates for the project assessed that facility construction would cost roughly $11.3 million. However, between the construction bid and the approximate $4 million already paid to architects and planners, the base construction cost estimate has jumped to $14.1 million, with an additional $8 million being spent on IT hardware, soft-

ware and other equipment. The county has also projected an annual recurring cost of $8.6 million for facility operations.

What’s new

“We have three main problems with the current Joint Communications and Office of Emergency Management centers: too small of spaces, outdated equipment and the inability to accommodate a growing community,” Atwill says, “but all of that will be fixed with the new center.”

The new 25,000-square-foot facility, which will be constructed north of Columbia near the Sheriff’s Department campus, will include ample space for the daily operations of both Joint Communications and the Office of Emergency Management, as well as space designated for operations during an emergency. Unlike in previous facilities, there will be specific training and conference room areas. There will also be ample office space provided for administration as well as IT and technology support staff. Finally, the facility will have a large room designated for the Emergency Operations Center, where, in the case of a national, state or countywide emergency, officials would meet to plan evacuation or disaster management efforts.

“We have three main problems with the current Joint Communications and Office of Emergency Management centers: too small of spaces, outdated equipment and the inability to accommodate a growing community, but all of that will be fixed with the new center.” — Dan Atwill, Boone County commissioner “Unlike facilities we’ve been in before, the new building was designed with growth in mind so we don’t have to do this again in the next 15 years,” Piper says.

In addition to the space provided, the new facility will feature replacements or updates

of all of Joint Communications’ current technology. Piper says because the equipment is running at full capacity 24 hours a day, seven days a week, it can get worn out fairly quickly. He hopes to be able to grow to meet changing emergency communication technology trends, including text messaging and video calling.

The staff at Joint Communications will also continue to grow. The county named Scott Shelton the first director of 911 communications in early February and was continuing the search for a director of emergency management at the time of press. The size of the staff of call takers and dispatchers will also need to increase. At the size of the staff now, it is not uncommon to have shifts where only one call taker is present. “To fill one calltaking position, it takes five people because obviously one person can’t do that job at all times,” Piper says. He hopes that in coming months, with the additional space and training areas, Joint Communications will be able to hire and train enough emergency telecommunicators to have three call takers working each shift.

As Piper and the rest of the Joint Communications team look ahead to the future, they have one additional challenge they need to face: the day they move from their current offices to the new facility.

“Obviously, we can’t just turn off 911 for a day while we make the move, so there will probably be a month or so where both facilities are operating simultaneously,” Atwill says. The team hopes to make the transition as smooth as possible and without any interruption to the services it provides.

This will mean running multiple tests to make sure all the new servers are working at top capacity and doing numerous system checks and facilitating training with the new equipment before the lights at the current center are turned off for good.

Both Atwill and Piper agree their No. 1 priority is the person in need on the other end of the line and making the transition so seamless that he or she has no idea there’s a move taking place. Piper believes the new building, the updated equipment and the additional staff are all there to serve one purpose: the customers they help.

“It all boils down to more responsiveness to the community,” Piper says. CBT columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 55

Elder Law

As the baby boomer generation reaches retirement and their senior years, the need for estate planning and health care planning is higher than ever, and local lawyers are answering the call.

By Christi Kelly | Photos by Anthony Jinson and Ben Meldrum

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Pictured: Hal Gibbs.

Photo by Anthony Jinson.

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 57

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Bonnie Marshall approached her estate planning and other senior legal needs exactly the way lawyers recommend: early and with an eye on the big picture.

Working with Columbia attorney Cynthia Barchet of Barchet & Jones, she put together plans for her will, her property and estate, power of attorney and advance medical directives. As the caretaker for her mother during her final years, and as a mother and grandmother in her 70s, Marshall knew it was important to make sure those details were handled — for everyone’s sake.

“If one has an attorney who can help you put these things in place, you’ve taken care of it, and you’re not leaving it for children or grandchildren to wonder about,” she says.

As more than 70 million Americans born between 1945 and 1964 enter retirement and their senior years, the need for estate planning and health care planning is higher than ever.

Like in many other areas — health care, assisted living, the job market, insurance — the aging of that baby boomer generation is having an impact on law firms in mid-Missouri and increasing demand for elder law services.

Most law firms in mid-Missouri offer some services to help meet the needs of the senior population, but a small number specialize in what’s known as elder law or special needs law.

These lawyers represent and counsel seniors on a variety of legal and financial issues, from estate planning and probate to retirement income, gift tax planning, guardianship, Medicare and Medicaid, long-term care planning, insurance and more.

Although these might seem like separate issues, they’re all interconnected when looking at a client’s financial picture, says attorney Hal Gibbs of Gibbs Pool and Turner in Jefferson City and Columbia.

“There are a lot of issues going on with clients when they’re getting older,” he says. “Their kids are typically grown, they have grandkids, and you have to look at all of their total needs.”

Gibbs Pool and Turner has had an elder law focus for more than 25 years.

“There aren’t that many firms that have a significant practice in the estate planning and elder care area,” Gibbs says. “Most attorneys will tell you they can do a will or trust, but they don’t have a substantial client base in that regard.”

Gibbs says he averages about two to three estate planning clients per week in the Jefferson City and Columbia areas.

Barchet says the hardest part for most people is getting started because the complex issues can be intimidating.

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Cynthia Barchet of Barchet & Jones says the hardest part for most clients of her firm’s elder law services is getting started.

Photo by Ben Meldrum.

“Once they get a good plan in place and understand it, it’s much easier,” she says.

Working with a lawyer who specializes in elder law was important to Marshall, who wanted someone with comprehensive expertise in all facets of seniors’ legal needs. She felt confident that Barchet had the detailed know-how to navigate a long list of potential issues.

Although she had done some planning with a previous lawyer, Marshall says she moved to Barchet after her retirement because “she will help with things you haven’t even thought of. She knows the entire situation and the ramifications of everything.”

Helping clients meet their goals for income and desires for inheritance means elder law includes not only estate planning but also asset protection.

“In our area, people own land and farms, property they know they want to go to the next generation,” Gibbs says. Seniors who want to protect those assets for children or grandchildren should consider irrevocable trusts, he says, to make sure tax penalties and probate don’t derail inheritance plans.

Asset protection is important not only to navigate tax issues and protect inheritances but also to ensure resources will be available for longterm care, medical care, end-of-life expenses and risks such as property loss or damage.

Grandparents planning for grandchildren’s needs is another growing trend in elder law, Barchet says, as people are living longer and watching younger generations move through college and into adulthood.

“We’ve seen grandparents doing a fair amount of gifting, funding college educations, establishing trusts and 529 plans for their grandchildren,” she says.

The trends driving the trend The National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys estimates the U.S. senior population will increase to 71.5 million by 2030, making up 20 percent of the U.S. population.

In Missouri, the 65-and-over group is projected to grow by 87 percent between 2000 and 2030, reaching a total 1.4 million, or 21 percent of the state’s population, according to the state Office of Administration. The

The NCPC estimates six in 10 people will need long-term care in their lifetime due to a complex web of circumstances including increasing longevity, smaller families, high rates of Alzheimer’s and dementia, increasing obesity trends and strained government resources, among other contributing factors.

Because long-term care insurance gets much more expensive with age, planning early is critical to ensure seniors’ financial stability if and when the need arises.

“If there are situations where people are on the bubble financially, we have to look at whether they could wind up in long-term care and whether there are assets we can protect,” Gibbs says.

The sooner the better

Hal Gibbs of Gibbs Pool and Turner says the firm has had an elder law focus for more than 25 years. Photo by Anthony Jinson.

By 2030, Missouri will have more than

176,000 citizens over age 85.

same group made up only 13 percent of the state in 2000.

By 2030, Missouri will have more than 176,000 citizens over age 85.

These increases are due not only to the baby boomer generation but also increased longevity due to improved health care.

That’s why demand is growing for elder law services, according to NAELA. The Missouri Bar Association also has an Elder Law Commit-

tee focused on the growing elder law trends and needs across the state.

The case for long-term care planning Along with straightforward estate planning, which generally focuses on property, tax and inheritance plans, long-term care planning is essential for financial stability later in life.

“The longer they can plan, the more options they have,” Barchet says. “Addressing those issues early is important.”

Long-term care planning is one of the biggest trends in elder law, she says, because people are living longer, with longer retirements.

“Long-term care insurance is something that’s very difficult to get if you’re above a certain age group or have certain health issues that would restrict you,” she says.

For reasons that aren’t completely clear, Americans are reluctant to plan for long-term care needs until after their 50s or 60s, according to the National Care Planning Council, an advocacy organization that encourages education and early planning around long-term care. One reason is that it’s simply unpleasant to think about, the council says.

Planning estate and senior health care financing might not be very appealing, but it’s necessary — and the earlier the plans are in place, the better.

“You’d be surprised how many people come in in their 70s and say they need to start planning,” Gibbs says. “A lot of people do have that mindset.”

Putting trusts in place early, for example, ensures inheritances will be passed down according to the client’s wishes rather than go through probate in the case of an early or unexpected death.

In Marshall’s case, estate planning included establishing beneficiary deeds, a will, transfer-ondeath (TOD) and payable-on-death (POD) stipulations and more, all with the aim of protecting her assets and simplifying the probate process for her son and grandchildren.

She first started planning more than 20 years ago, when her mother moved to the area so Marshall and her brother could provide care. She’s glad she did.

“It will be very easy for my son to just carry on and pay debts and take care of all this stuff,” she says, adding that Barchet has helped her continue fine-tuning those plans as needed. “That’s a load off my mind.”

Likewise, planning early to protect financial resources for health care and long-term care needs can make a big difference later in quality of life.

“That’s what you would call proactive planning vs. reactive planning,” Gibbs says. “Reactive planning is when someone is going into the nursing home, and they haven’t done anything.”

It’s never too early to start planning, but local firms are still seeing a large number of clients coming in late in life, when plans can be more difficult and expensive to execute.

“We’re seeing more and more where it jumps up and surprises somebody because they haven’t planned for it,” Gibbs says. CBT columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 59

legal green Addressing a municipal court fee schedule that’s confusing not only for the public but also for professional court staff and attorneys, the General Assembly has made judicial reforms a priority for the current legislative session.

Thinkstock.com

60 \\\ march 2015

By Claire Boston

A $3 fee contributes to the retirement fund of more than 100 former Missouri sheriffs, and $4 goes toward a similar retirement fund for prosecuting attorneys. State head injury and spinal cord injury funds get $2 each per case, and a $1 surcharge funds motorcycle safety education programs.

The small surcharges add up. In the 13th Circuit, which covers Boone and Callaway counties, defendants with misdemeanor charges pay just less than $100 in various court costs. Felonies come with more than $210 in fees and surcharges, made up of small contributions to up to 17 state funds and court services.

Although many criminal defendants in Boone County will pay either $98.50 or $210.50 in court costs this year, there is a completely different fee schedule for the municipal court system, and total court costs can vary widely by jurisdiction and criminal offense. A Missouri Supreme Court ad hoc committee found the current system is confusing not only for the public but also for professional court staff and attorneys. It’s also led to lawsuits. Legislators in the General Assembly have talked about reforming the cost structure in previous sessions but haven’t passed any legislation related to it. That could change in 2015: The General Assembly has made judicial reforms a priority for its session that began in January.

Columbia defense attorney Jennifer Bukowsky became aware of the lengthy list of court fees her clients were paying in 2009, when she was working as a public defender. Clerks normally process payments directly with defendants, but Bukowsky received a copy of the cost statement after she convinced a judge to allow an indigent client to serve 10 days in jail in lieu of paying court costs. His bill fell to $10, down from about $110. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 61

About 40 percent of the total court costs go to clerk and court reporters’ fees.

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S

She says she had seen clients struggle with payments they often must fulfill as a condition of their probation and was surprised that so few fees directly relate to court proceedings. About 40 percent of the total court costs go to clerk and court reporters’ fees. The rest are a hodgepodge of additional surcharges benefiting a number of retirement funds and other special programs.

“So often I would see people pulling the last dollars out of their pockets, their rides’, their aunties’, and these are people that probably owe their landlords money and need to buy things and don’t have a lot of discretionary income,” Bukowsky says.

Lost in translation In late 2013, the Supreme Court ad hoc committee encouraged the Supreme Court and the General Assembly to clarify the fee schedule and proposed 20 sections of the Missouri Revised Statutes where language could be examined or revised. But more than a year after the committee disbanded, the fees haven’t changed.

Bukowsky says the current fee schedule makes little sense. Her clients pay court costs toward the sheriff’s retirement fees even if they were arrested by city police officers, not a member of the Sheriff’s Department. They also pay either $15 or $30 to the Missouri State Highway Patrol’s DNA analysis fund, though Bukowsky says only a tiny fraction of her clients have cases that involve DNA evidence.

Most concerning to Bukowsky, though, is the number of fees that go toward law enforcement and prosecution as opposed to defense. Fees bolster law enforcement officer and prosecuting attorney training funds, but nothing goes to public defenders. Several studies have found Missouri’s public defender system is among the lowest-funded in the country.

“We have one of the worst-funded public defender systems in the country,” Bukowsky says.

“They’ve just found a bazillion ways to out-resource private persons who can’t afford all these resources to fight the tremendous resources of the government, and they’re not funding the public defenders either. It just kind of implicates liberty issues.”

Money regularly changes hands in the court system. In fiscal year 2014, Missouri’s circuit and municipal courts disbursed nearly $292 million to the state, counties, cities and other entities, according to Missouri Supreme Court records.

Columbia’s municipal court disbursements totaled more than $2 million in fiscal 2014.

The Supreme Court committee on court costs’ final report to the court didn’t make any recommendations on individual charges but did note the current court fee and surcharge structure is confusing.

“The language of several current statutes relatwould receive a waiver after serving 10 or more ing to costs and surcharges leaves them ambigudays in jail because his or her family failed to come ous or open to variable interpretations, resulting up with the money to put even 10 percent toward in past confusion, current litigation and a prolifa bond. eration of requests for opinions from the Attorney But the waiver program is inconsistent across General,” the report says.

Missouri counties. Some counties charge a fee for The report says revising the fee system was an each day a defendant stays in jail. In others, failure issue that the General Assembly would need to to pay court or jail-related debts can even land a consider. Although the Supreme Court ordered defendant back in jail. the committee, it has yet to act on the report.

“It starts to be like debtor’s prison, which is “The court did not take any action relative to something we’ve historically put in our constituthe recommendations,” says Catherine Zacharias, tion to prevent,” Bukowsky says. an attorney at the Office of State Courts AdminisSo far this legislative session, Springfield Sen. trator who helped compile public comments for Bob Dixon, a Republican, has filed legislation aimed the committee. at reforming and clarifying municipal fees. Last year, some fee reforms were tacked onto a wideFour lawyers weighed in when the commitranging Senate bill he sponsored that modified laws tee asked for public comment. Pat Brownlee, relating to court costs, a St. Louis attorney, civil fines, court procesays she hoped court costs could be standure, judgeships, Misdardized across Missouri’s open govern“We have one of souri’s 114 counties. ment laws and other law the worst-funded The other attorneys enforcement issues. focused on a particThe bill garnered public defender support from the Misularly controversial systems in the souri Bar Association surcharge: the sherfor clarifying court iff’s retirement fee. country. … It just costs and passed the “How is it ethical, kind of implicates General Assembly, reasonable or even liberty issues.” but Gov. Jay Nixon ‘legal’ to assess costs ultimately vetoed the for a sheriff’s retire— Jennifer bill over concerns ment fund against Bukowsky, the open governmunicipal court defenment modifications dants who were not Columbia would reduce governticketed or arrested defense attorney ment transparency. He by any sheriff departwrote in his veto letter ment?” writes Janet that the bill contained Elise Oliver, a Kansas “a number of worthCity attorney. “What’s while provisions” he would otherwise support. next? Highway Patrol retirement fund? Smacks of The General Assembly did not override Nixon’s a good ole boys club to me.” veto during its September veto session.

Municipal courts, which handle citations such as local speeding tickets and noise violations, Although Dixon, who served on the ad hoc comwere once exempt from collecting the sheriff’s mittee on court costs, has filed court cost legislation retirement fee surcharge. The General Assembly this year, several other leaders in the cost reform removed the exemption in 1996, and in 2013 Attormovement, including Sen. Jolie Justus, D-Kansas ney Gen. Chris Koster issued a statement saying City, and Columbia’s Democratic Rep. Chris Kelly, municipal courts should collect the $3 charge. have either reached their term limits or retired.

Municipal courts across Missouri refused, and Bukowsky, though, remains hopeful that some some local governments joined a Cole County sort of cost reform will happen. Dixon serves lawsuit challenging the fee. as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which is weighing a number of cost-related reforms and possible changes to the prosecuting ‘A debtor’s prison’ attorney system.

It’s possible for courts to waive court costs for the “They’re looking to change up a lot of this this neediest defendants, but Bukowsky says it’s rare. session,” Bukowsky says. CBT In a few cases she saw as a public defender, a client columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 63

Nonprofit Spotlight

›› Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center

Learn, Create, Explore

An 80-year legacy of high-quality child care and education

By Sarah Berger | Photos by sarah redohl It’s a cold, icy Monday morning in February.

Schools and businesses in Columbia are slowly and sleepily starting to come to life, reluctant to begin the day’s activities. At the Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center, though, the air is thick with excitement and energy as children buzz around the classrooms; there are no Monday morning blues here. The kids are eager to start another day of learning, creating and exploring with their peers.

Meg Bartlett, executive director at the Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center, smiles warmly from behind her desk. She’s been an early child educator for more than 40 years and considers children her passion.

“This is not only what I want to do; it’s what I love to do,” Bartlett says.

According to their mission statement, the Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center “is committed to providing high-quality, affordable Judi Schoonover “I became involved with the center first off because I wanted to honor the memory of Mrs. Johnston. … As an early childhood educator myself, I want to continue my own commitment to the very important issue of providing high-quality care in the early years.”

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care and education programs based on the needs of our community.” The center is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that serves children from 6 weeks of age to 6 years and is a United Way partner agency. As a nonprofit, the center is available to provide quality child care on a sliding fee scale dependent on family income. Currently, 80 percent of the children at the learning center attend at a lower tuition rate. Along with tuition assistance, the center also offers scholarships for families in crisis situations.

“Occasionally, since many of our families live paycheck to paycheck, sometimes the car breaks down, and you have to make the choice: Does my child go to day care, or do we eat?” Bartlett says. “If we can help them stay in care, we will because we know the longer we have a child in care from birth to kindergarten, the greater our impact is going to be, and there is greater potential for them to be successful when they start kindergarten.”

Ed Musterman “Improving the early childhood learning experience is one of the most important factors for improving the lives of individuals and families in our community.”

A history to build on The Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center was established in 1934 in part of, what Bartlett believes to be, the Work Projects Administration. The Work Projects Administration was the largest New Deal agency and employed millions of people to carry out public works projects. During World War II, many of the men in Columbia were sent away to fight in the war, and women were left having to get jobs. Families needed a day care for their children, so the facility was established, originally named the Ripley Children’s Center.

Since then, the learning center has been moved, remodeled and expanded. In 2008, for its 75th anniversary, the center was renamed from Community Nursery School to the Mary Lee Johnston Community Center. Mary Lee Johnston was the executive director at the center for 40 years. Now, Mary Lee’s daughter Grace Johnston Elder serves Allison Moore “I wish more Columbians knew about the high standards the center has set and the awards it has received in many different aspects, from education to nutrition to physical movement.”

➜ 1505 Hinkson Ave. Columbia, MO 65201 573-449-5600 • mljclc.org

on the center’s community-based board of directors and is the center’s biggest fan and cheerleader.

“My mother was an educated, classy lady,” Elder says. “She had the biggest heart, especially for the single mamas who were trying to better themselves but didn’t have the income. She wanted to make it possible for as many little ones who needed a safe and loving place to have one.”

The center, now located on Hinkson Avenue, consists of three buildings that include two infant rooms, two toddler rooms, two 2- and 3-year-old rooms and two preschool rooms. It has the capacity to serve a total of 88 children and currently has 84 children attending, with a staff of 24 people. The center is serious about not only providing affordable care for Columbia children but also high-quality care. The center is an Advanced Level Eat Smart Program under the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Program. By providing quality movement activities, the center is also considered a Missouri Moves site.

According to Bartlett, there are two main elements in the programs that the learning center provides. First, the center uses a High Scope curriculum model, which focuses on the components needed to create a rich environment for learning, including active participation learning, adult-child interactions, following daily routines and ongoing Jon-Paul Harris “My 1 ½-year-old son attends the center and has benefited from it so much that I wanted to give back as much as I could.”

assessment. Secondly, the center follows the Positive Behavior Support system, which assists children in developing social skills and gaining personal self-regulation skills.

Bartlett says the center provides a predictable pattern so the children know what to expect in their day, but they also leave time for them to explore.

Also, the center is flexible in what room children are in and does not base it solely on age.

“Some children at 10 months are ready to move to a higher-level classroom; some children may not be ready until 16 months, and that’s OK,” Bartlett says. “When they're ready to move, we’ll move them so we keep them challenged and moving forward.”

Funding and the future The Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center is largely funded by its partnership with United Way, other grants, individual donations and support from other organizations. Last year, though, the learning center had to dip into its reserve funds due to cuts in funding in many areas.

“I think economically we are in a teetering place, just nationally,” Bartlett says. “I don’t think people are feeling as secure as they were years ago.

Therefore, donations are down. I have a wonderful board, and they recognize the situation that Grace Johnston Elder “My proudest moment was when Community Nursery School became Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center in 2008. … I joined the board to share in the continuation of my mom’s commitment to offer a safe, educational, caring environment for those families in need.”

we’re in, so basically the board’s challenge now is to find ways to make up those deficits so we can be successful. We just celebrated 80 years, so let’s have another 80.”

Elder, who works with fundraising on the board, remembers that when her mother was the executive director at the center, the job was a family affair.

That is still true today, with Elder, her two brothers, sister, husband and nephew all working together in fundraising efforts.

One fundraising event that usually takes place in the fall is particularly special to Elder because it takes place at the Johnston Paint & Decorating store, her family’s other legacy, and she receives overwhelming support from her family and the community. Chairs and Chests for Children focuses on repurposing donated furniture and features a live auction for some of the larger items and donated gift certificates.

Elder is confident that the Mary Lee Johnston Community Learning Center will continue to thrive as they apply for more grants and come up with more fundraising ideas because of the generous nature of Columbia’s residents in general.

“This community is so generous, it’s amazing to me,” Elder says. “A lot of people who remember my mother and father tell me, ‘You’re mother would be so proud.’” CBT John Meyer “We are not merely a day care, but we utilize programs that enhance early development in infants and preschoolers that support success in later educational performance. And we also currently have openings at our facility!”

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 65

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fast facts

Did You Know?

›› Fun facts CBT staff discovered while reporting this issue

To conduct traffic counts, Columbia traffic engineer Lee White uses either a count board or the TurnCounter app ($30) on a tablet, though he prefers the old count board because it’s more familiar to him. Learn more about Columbia’s traffic management on page 34.

Keep up to date with the latest traffic and accident announcements with Nixle alerts. Columbia is one of more than 7,000 public safety and government agencies utilizing the communication system.

Visit gocolumbiamo.com/Nixle to sign up.

By 2030, Missouri will have more than

176,000

citizens over age 85. Read more about how local lawyers are rising to the occasion to offer elder law services on page 56.

Less than 5 percent of businesses in Columbia are owned by African Americans. The national average is 7.1 percent, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Read more about race relations on page 46.

Guilty Pleasure

Michael Urban, owner of Harold’s Doughnut, and Melissa Poelling, Harold’s doughnut magician, share a guilty pleasure — the McGriddle from McDonald’s. After collaborating with Cafe Berlin to create the “Bismark Cheese,” a maple bacon doughnut split in half and toasted with a fried egg, Tillamook cheddar and Patchwork Farms bacon, neither of them could help noticing similarities to the fast-food treat. And it proved quite popular, selling out in half a day. Read more about how Harold’s is changing Columbia’s doughnut scene on page 40.

In the 13th Circuit, which covers Boone and Callaway counties, defendants with misdemeanor charges pay just less than $100 in court costs. Felonies pay more than $210 in court costs, contributing to up to 17 state funds and court services. The municipal court system has a completely different fee schedule.

To learn more about court costs, head to page 60.

According to Scott Bitterman with the City of Columbia, stop signs are not considered a traffic-calming mechanism. “If it’s an unwarranted stop, and people feel they shouldn’t have to stop there, what people tend to do is increase their speed along the rest of the street.” Head to page 34 to learn more about how the city handles traffic.

Early estimates for the new Boone County Joint Communications Center had a price tag of $11.3 million. The current estimate is $14.1 million, with an additional $8 million spent on IT hardware, software and other equipment. Learn more about Joint Communications on page 52. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 67

Pictured: Lili Vianello Photo by Anthony Jinson

68 \\\ march 2015

Celebrations

›› Visionworks Marketing Group

staying p ow e r

Driving the Industry

Visionworks Marketing Group celebrates 20 years.

The first time Lili Vianello worked for a marketing agency was the day she co-founded Visionworks. Now, 20 years later, as Visionworks Marketing Group’s “top dog,” Vianello and her team are taking Columbia’s marketing industry by storm.

Visionworks is a full-service agency, providing everything from radio to TV to search engine optimization and Web presence services to its clients. They are an award-winning agency, with multiple honors from the MarCom Awards, the American Graphic Design Awards and the Davey Awards, to name a few. The team works in an expansive office in south Columbia, where Vianello’s dogs have free reign. The location is complete with a studio downstairs to produce radio ads and is one of only a handful of agencies in Columbia to have an onsite production area.

“I could not have survived if I sweat the little stuff,” Vianello says. “It’s all about how you navigate what comes your way.” — Lili Vianello, owner, Visionworks Marketing Group From humble beginnings Visionworks has come a long way in the past two decades, so it’s hard to imagine it all started in Vianello’s basement with just her

and her co-founder, a graphic designer. It was 1995: Vianello was working full time as the director of communications for a local McDonald’s franchise, and Visionworks was just a side project. However, a year later, Vianello decided to leave McDonald’s and go to Visionworks full time, keeping McDonald’s as a client. The agency remained in her basement for several more years, even after her partner left the company, and Vianello became the sole proprietor. Four years later, after years of longing to move out of her basement, Vianello decided it was time to move her team to a more permanent location, and the Visionworks office moved to its current home on Peach Way. Visionworks has been in business longer than most of the agencies in Columbia, and Vianello believes this staying power speaks volumes. “It’s a mix of dedication, determination and listening to our customers,” she says. “It’s either all of that or being too stupid to know when you have failed.” She adds that she was raised with the idea that failure is not a viable option, and therefore she’s worked as hard as she can to stay in the game.

Nick Allen of Manor Roofing & Restoration has been a Visionworks client for three years. He says Visionworks’ ability to find the genuine message of a company is what has made the business so successful with its clients.

“They really dug deep to learn who we were as a company,” Allen says, adding that Manor Roofing & Restoration has seen 20 percent annual growth since it started working with Visionworks.

Don’t sweat the small stuff When Vianello gives advice to new entrepreneurs, a task she’s often asked to do,

By Torie Ross she always says the same thing: Don’t do it.

Although she’s mostly joking, she says a lot of young entrepreneurs have an idealistic view of what owning a business will be like.

“I always tell them, ‘Make sure your company will answer a consumer-driven need and isn’t just something you think will be cool,’” she says.

Now that Visonworks’ eight-person team has made it to the 20-year mark, they have plenty of lessons to look back on.

“I would not have survived if I hadn’t learned not to sweat the little stuff,” Vianello says. “It’s all about how you navigate what comes your way.” Looking to the future, she hopes she and her team can continue providing quality services for their clients and driving Columbia’s marketing industry forward. CBT

Timeline 1995 › Vianello and her partner found Visionworks.

1996 › Vianello leaves McDonald’s to work with Visionworks full time.

1999 › The Visionworks office moves from Vianello’s basement to its offices on Peach Way. 2000 › Visionworks incorporates.

2012 › Visionworks changes from Visionworks Marketing & Communications to Visionworks Marketing Group.

'12-'14 › Visionworks earns seven awards in national or international competition per year.

2013 › Visionworks receives two MarCom awards as part of an international competition.

2015 › Visionworks celebrates 20 years in the industry. columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 69

Discover the BLUE in YOU

L

“

incoln University is the place where I discovered the world of the mind.

I decided I wanted to live in that world. It has made all the difference in my life.�

Gary Kremer

Executive Director The State Historical Society of Missouri B.A. in History from LU, 1970, M.A. in History from LU, 1972 Ph. D. in History from The American University in Washington, D. C., 1978 LU History Professor 1972-1987

www.LincolnU.edu 70 \\\ march 2015

Marketing

›› Monica Pitts talks marketing trends and tips.

A Human Element The verdict is in: Generic and dishonest marketing tactics are turning savvy buyers toward companies spreading an individualized message with an honest human element. “People trust other people, not brands,” says Kelsey Meyer, president of Influence & Co. “For this reason, it’s important to be open and transparent in your messaging to show the human side of your business.”

Past practices and generational differences perpetuate the shift.

If consumers’ brains could talk while filtering through the messages of advertisers, you might hear, “I don’t have to listen if I don’t want to, and I don’t believe you anyway.” Advertisers now only have seconds to initiate a relationship.

The average person is assaulted with a barrage of 577 new marketing messages per week.

Generation X and millennials have sifted through marketing messaging at this rate every day of their lives. As these generations move into buying power, they are skeptical at best. As a generation X-er, I’ve grown up with remote controls and the Internet, conveniences that have fortified my instinct to ignore and discount advertisements. If the messages I hear 577 times a week don’t apply to me as a person in the moment I’m in, they lack the ability to connect, trust and be human.

An honest marketer: • Puts others before himself. “People are portals to your content,” says Sarah Hill, chief storyteller with Veterans United Home Loans. “Too many brands mistake their brand for being a logo or their website color, font or design.

Your brand equals your people.”

The people Hill is talking about aren’t just those within your company; they’re mainly

Monica Pitts

the people you serve. The most important rule of honest marketing is putting your target market front and center. The message should speak to your audience about what they care about, in a language they understand. “If you know your audience, you should talk like your audience,” Hill says. “If your demographic is using words like ‘bae’ and ‘fleek,’ your social media posts should be in that voice. If you have no idea what those words mean, but your audience does, you might want to spend some time with your target demographic to better understand their swagger.”

• Has no ego and no secrets. Your campaign goals aren’t about padding your bottom line or inflating your ego. Those are the outcomes of a successful campaign. Answer every question you’ve ever heard from your customers with complete transparency and no agenda. This may even mean reviewing competitors’ products or sharing your pricing and salary structure.

“Transparency can mean talking through the struggles your company has had or giving away some of your trade secrets; this helps your audience connect with you on a more human level, which leads to stronger, longer relationships,” Meyer says.

• Makes eye contact. “A Cornell study says eye contact increases brand trust by 16 percent,” Hill says. “If you’re in the customer service business, which what company isn’t, eye contact reduces hostilities. Being human is allowing customers to look in the whites of your eyes. Embrace opportunities to have eye contact with your customers and key influencers.”

As a national company, Veterans United Home Loans can’t shake everyone’s hand or make eye contact in person, so Hill embraces new technology such as Google Hangouts

Illustration by Tifani Carter

and WebRTC to make connections with people from afar.

• Lets others do the talking. Landmark Bank puts this idea into action with its “I’m a Landmark” campaign. “Testimonial advertising is one of the most powerful approaches, but you have to have satisfied customers to do it well,” says Charlie Williamson, senior vice president of Landmark Bank. “The ‘I’m a Landmark’ campaign is all about our customers’ experience. It’s about results.”

Client endorsements of a company are a powerful thing. Spreading its message via satisfied customers has paid the bank back in spades. “It’s done a great job of positioning the Landmark brand in the community,” Williamson says. “Many of us have had the experience of paying for a meal and having the waiter say, ‘I’m a Landmark’ when he saw the debit card.”

• Isn’t a stock photo. People trust real people, not the glowing, perfect-skinned stock photo folks. Hill puts it best: “Use real people in your messaging or real employees. Quit hiding behind your logo, and start interacting with your following on a deeper level than a text-based social media post.” CBT

➜ c h i e f c r e at i v e d i r e c t o r o f M ay e C r e at e D e s i g n columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 71

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Technology

›› Brant Uptergrove reviews the latest trends in tech.

Policy Protection and Productivity As a business owner, you might lie awake at night worrying about many things. If one of these is liability related to the ways your employees may potentially use your company’s computers and computer-related technology, it’s time for a computer use policy and user agreement. And if it’s not worrying you, maybe it should be.

Why is this important?

The amount of illegal activities in which employees can engage has increased dramatically in recent years. Using their work computers, employees could send threatening or harassing emails to internal or external contacts, copy and distribute confidential information, gain unauthorized access to others’ computers or download and distribute illegal adult content. If you have an employee using a company-owned electronic device, you need to protect your business by creating and requiring employees to sign an electronic equipment policy statement. As a part of this, employees should be required to waive their right of privacy and allow you as the employer to monitor computer usage.

What’s your liability if you don’t have one in place?

It has become more common for companies to be held criminally responsible for the improprieties of their management and employees, especially when the company fails to establish and enforce related corporate policies. An employer’s failure to appropriately control Internet and email usage usually results in a legal finding against the employer. For instance, employers have a responsibility to prevent harassment in the workplace. Therefore, it is imperative for you as an employer to have the legal right to fully investigate an employee’s computer usage during his or her employment. A computer use policy and user agreement also allows you to properly defend yourself should you become a part of a lawsuit.

Brant Uptergrove

What to include The key to an effective technology use policy for your organization is to start with the mission statement of the company. Then consider what employees can and cannot do with technology in your business.

1. Can employees bring their own devices to work?

2. Can employees connect their phones to their work computers and/or the company Wi-Fi? 3. Can employees use social media at work?

4. What sites are appropriate for carrying out daily duties?

5. What sites are employees allowed to access during breaks, lunch, etc.?

6. Can employees take their work computers home?

7. Can work computers be used by family members for personal use?

8. What devices are employees allowed to connect to email servers with?

When technology is used properly, it can increase productivity; when technology is abused, productivity is greatly deteriorated. The essential purpose of an Internet-use policy is to minimize risk and encourage productive use of technology without excessively limiting its use.

Most policies will have some commonalities.

You most likely need to include that “Internet use is for business purposes only” and that “harassment is strictly prohibited.” You should also state that the company “has the right to openly monitor its employees’ Internet and email activities.” It should end with the provision that “the employee has read, understood and comprehends the policy and agrees to follow the instructions of the employer.”

Your policy should be in writing and distributed to each employee. Have the employee sign it, and place the signed copy in the employee’s file.

Employees should have access to the policy for review at any time.

Illustration by Tifani Carter

Next steps Now that a policy is in place, you must have a way to monitor your employees’ Internet access. This can be accomplished by installing a quality firewall solution than incorporates Web content filtering. Once installed, have your IT department set policies to block websites that fall outside of your defined parameters.

• Setting expectation of how your employees may use their technology within the workplace encourages productivity and provides a framework for appropriate conduct.

• Define group policies within the firewall to automatically track sites.

• Decide if you will go a step further and block access to certain URLs (i.e. social networks, adult content, etc.).

• Filter Web access by specific keywords you want to monitor or block.

• Monitor incoming and outgoing email messages and instant messages. Set up alerts if particular words or phrases are detected.

• Define group policy software restriction policies to control what software employees can install or run. CBT

➜ A c c o u n t M a n a g e r at M i d w e s t C o m p u t e c h columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 73

VAN MATRE, HARRISON, HOLLIS, TAYLOR, AND ELLIOTT, P.C. Craig A. Van Matre founded this firm over 30 years ago. In the intervening years, we have built a local and national reputation for excellence. Although we represent many clients with very large and complex operations that span the entire country and have built up a national reputation for excellence in business, real estate, and other areas, we are still driven to provide each client, no matter their size or sophistication, with personalized, value-adding services, primarily in Columbia, Jefferson City, and the Mid-Missouri region.

Although we are a small firm, our lawyers pride themselves on providing a wide range of legal services that include contracts; business formation and planning; corporate, securities, and tax structuring; real estate acquisition and development; real estate and general commercial litigation; municipal government work; financing transactions; employment; wills, trusts, and estate planning services; and a variety of other legal practice areas.

Pictured above from Left: Garrett S. Taylor, Alexandra L. Klaus, Robert N. Hollis, Casey E. Elliott, Thomas M. Harrison, and Richard B. Hicks.

CONTACT

Van Matre, Harrison, Hollis, taylor, anD elliott, P.C.

1103 E Broadway P.O. Box 1017, Columbia, MO 65201 Phone: (573) 874-7777 Fax: (573) 875-0017

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Organizational Health

›› Pieter Van Waarde helps guide organizations into good health.

Embrace the Conflict In the 1987 film Wall Street, Gordon Gecko raised more than a few eyebrows with his proud proclamation, “Greed is good!” Perhaps I’ll raise a few of my own by stating with equal boldness, “Conflict is good!”

Many people tend to avoid conflict, mostly because they see it as a bad thing. People tend to assume it invariably makes things worse. It doesn’t really help. It only leads to increased tension, frayed emotions and battered relationships.

Better to let sleeping dogs lie — or so they say. I want to buck conventional wisdom and suggest conflict is inevitable, and when handled rightly, it actually leads to better relationships, more effective solutions and more efficient business practices — not to mention better morale.

Wally Bley, a longtime Columbia attorney, recently told me it amazed him that people would come into his office mad as hell at each other — seeking a legal resolution — when they really hadn’t even tried that hard to work it out on their own.

“It would seem to me that people might want to talk things through themselves before starting World War III.” It’s certainly much less messy and a lot less expensive!

"Although at first blush people’s desires seem to be at polar opposites, given an opportunity to reasonably and honestly talk about their needs, most of the time common ground can be reached. People need to keep in mind that it doesn’t matter so much where you start out; what matters is where you end up." — Wally Bley, attorney at law

Adjusting our mindset It would seem that the best shot at achieving that preferred end is when someone willingly and courageously embraces the necessary conflict. It makes absolute sense. So why don’t people do it?

Piet Van Waarde

I think it boils down to two things: our mindset about conflict (we tend to think that conflict is a bad thing and should be avoided as much as possible) and our tendency to discount the significance of our differences, especially early on (we don’t want to make a mountain out of a mole hill). As a result, many issues go unaddressed. Frustrations fester. Gossip and backbiting replace frank conversation.

My wife and I lead the premarital ministry at our church, and one of the things we tell young couples is that they ought not be surprised by conflict. Conflict is inevitable. Think about it: We are all amazingly unique individuals with our own unique perspectives and values. We were raised in different environments and have a host of different learning experiences. When these two lives come together to try and walk the same path, we shouldn’t be surprised by the fact that we’re looking at different roadmaps. Getting on the same page means embracing the conflict associated with finding a common path. This is not only true in marriage, but it’s also relevant in business partnerships, personal friendships and political processes.

The interesting thing about conflict — and doing it well — is that people invariably find themselves in a much better place on the other side of it. They often experience significant personal growth, a broader psychological perspective and a deeper sense of commitment to the other person/ people involved.

The key, of course, is captured in doing “it” well.

What does that mean?

Engaging it early In addition to adjusting our mindset, which allows us to see conflict as our friend, the single most important thing we can do, to do it well, is to engage it early. Most of us want to wait until something is big enough to merit the energy that conflict requires.

Illustration by Tifani Carter

However, once something is perceived as “big enough,” there is already a good measure of emotion involved. Our feelings have probably been hurt a time or two, and maybe even some resentment has set in. As a result, once we do engage the conflict, our emotions have escalated. This can cause our perspective to be skewed. It’s harder to listen with an open mind. Our defenses are up.

Trust has also probably eroded a bit, which isn’t exactly the best backdrop for healthy conflict.

Therefore, it would serve us well to simply get into the practice of asking clarifying questions with the very first tweak. When something feels off, ask the question, “Is something up?” If a conversation has extra energy, call a time out. When nonverbal signals suggest something is amiss, don’t pretend it’s not a big deal. Lean in. Explore. Engage.

Much is said these days about the litigious environment in business. People complain about how much money is wasted protecting against frivolous lawsuits. As a result, people are talking about new laws and limitations on liability. Perhaps the real solution is much more personal. Maybe it starts with us embracing the idea that conflict is actually good in the home, in the office and in the arena of public conversation. CBT

➜ S e n i o r Pa s t o r , W o o d c r e s t Ch a p e l ; P r e s i d e n t o f S i d e wa l k LLC columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 75

OUR PLACE OR YOURS? An exeptional event calls for exceptional food.

Economic Index ›› It’s all about the numbers Housing: Single-family homes sales, December 2014: 142 Single-family active listings on market, December 2014: 740 Single-family homes average sold price, December 2014: $185,677 Single-family home median sold price, December 2014: $167,000 Single-family homes average days on market, December 2014: 77 Single-family pending listings on market, December 2014: 99

Construction: Residential building permits, December 2014: 60 Value of residential building permits, December 2014: $9,290,632 Detached single-family homes, December 2014: 12 Value of detached singlefamily homes, December 2014: $3,461,930 Commercial building permits, December 2014: 22

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Commercial additions/ alterations, December 2014: 17

Value of commercial additions/ alterations, December 2014: $2,924,582

Labor: December 2014 – Boone County Labor force: 97,052 Employment: 93,868 Unemployment: 3,184 Rate: 3.3 percent December 2014 – Columbia City Labor force: 65,132 Employment: 63,168 Unemployment: 1,964 Rate: 3 percent December 2014 – Columbia, MO (Metropolitan Statistical Area) Labor force: 102,388 Employment: 98,963 Unemployment: 3,425 Rate: 3.3 percent December 2014 – Missouri Labor force: 3,060,510 Employment: 2,899,588 Unemployment: 160,922 Rate: 5.3 percent

Utilities: Water December 2014: 47,438 December 2013: 47,095 Change #: 344 Change %: 0.7 percent Number of customers receiving service on Jan. 1, 2015: 47,398 Electric December 2014: 48,061 December 2013: 47,465 Change #: 595 Change %: 1.3 percent Number of customers receiving service on Jan. 1, 2015: 48,026 CBT

Deeds of Trust

›› Worth more than $400,000 $2,400,000 THM Investments LLC Boone County National Bank LT 1C2 Bluff Creek Office Park Plat 3-I-B $1,796,000 Jacobs, Michelle and Delbert C. Providence Bank STR 32-48-12//NW//NE SUR BK//PG: 253/193 FF W/ Exceptions $1,450,000 Tompkins, Homes and Development Inc. Landmark Bank STR 9-47-13// S SUR BK/PG: 253/193 FF W/ Exceptions $1,448,806 MK Property LLC Hawthorn Bank LT 1F2A Bluff Ridge Plat 1-E $900,000 RUM Inc. Arvest Bank STR 5-48-12//NE $865,000 220 S. Eighth LLC Landmark Bank LT 25 PT Columbia $688,000 Falling Leaf LLC West Community Credit Union LT 1 Columbia Original Town Lots 376,377,378 $623,000 Pellock Investment Properties LLC The Callaway Bank STR 27-49-14//SW SUR BK/ PG: 869/281 FF Tract 4 and Tract 5

414

Deeds of trust were issued between Dec. 30, 2014, and Jan. 26, 2015

$606,000 Falling Leaf LLC West Community Credit Union LT PT Watson Place FF

$486,200 Matt Young Builders Inc. Boone County National Bank LT 13 Bristol Lake Plat 1

$600,871 Baker Development Group Inc. First Midwest Bank of Poplar Bluff LT 502B Highland Circle Plat 6-B

$461,250 Lee, Johanna and Mark Flat Branch Mortgage Inc. LT 908 Old Hawthorne Plat 9

$549,500 Radel, Jeffrey and Terri Landmark Bank STR 22-47-13//NW SUR BK/PG: 1860/231 AC 40.93 FF Tract 2 $510,000 Logsdon, Rachel Joelin and Gregory Will CRF Small Business Loan Co. LLC LT 215 Bethel Manor Plat 2 $510,000 Lucky Dog Rentals LLC CRF Small Business Loan Co. LLC LT 309 Bethel Manor Plat 3 $510,000 Lucky Dog Rentals LLC CRF Small Business Loan Co. LT 216 Bethel Manor Plat 2 $506,000 Lake George Properties LLC Boone County National Bank LT 201 Lake George Plat 2 $497,734 Suerondow Farms LLC Boone County National Bank STR 30-49-11/S/NE

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The Tiger Home Team 573.446.6500 • TigerHomeTeam.com

$441,857 Harper, Debra Sue and Terry Joe Martinsburg Bank & Trust STR 19-51-11/E/E $420,000 Bourgeois, Martha and Declaration of Trust Boone County National Bank STR-48-14 W/W/W SUR BK/PG: 905/88 AC 16.09 $417,000 Norris, Lezlie and Ryan Flat Branch Mortgage Inc. LT 217 Heritage Woods Plat 2

“We realize the power of teamwork - for ourselves, our clients & our community. By working together, Columbia will be stronger and healthier for all of us.”

573-875-1144 • WhiteDogPromos.com

$417,000 Acevedo, Camila M. and Gonzalez, Guido L. Providence Bank LT 602 Copperstone Plat 6 $414,400 John Hansman Construction LLC Landmark Bank LT 130 Old Hawthorne Plat 2 $414,159 Habermehl, Leigh and Brian Bank of Cairo and Moberly LT 707A Villas at Old Hawthorne Plat 7 CBT

“Thanks, United Way, for providing the opportunity to partner with other small businesses to make a difference in Columbia! ”

are community partners.

To become a member of the LU365 Small Business Circle visit uwheartmo.org/live-united-365 columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 77

New Business Licenses ›› Columbia residents and their upstarts

Carroll Wilkerson, CFP® Jared W. Reynolds, CFP®

Have you planned for what could go wrong?

• • • •

Higher Inflation Outliving your Assets Higher Living Expenses Volatile Markets

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AT&T 2910 Trimble Road, Suite 101 Wireless sales and service

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Greenworks Lawn & Landscape 4007 Monsson Lane Residential lawn maintenance

Break Time No. 3160 1406 Grindstone Parkway Convenience sales

Highpointe Financial Group 110 N. 10th St., Suite 5 Financial services and insurance

Cici’s Pizza 2609 E. Broadway, Suit 216-1 Restaurant Corrections Auditing Group 1100 Building 3 Kennesaw Ridge Road, Apt. 301 Conducting audits of prisons and jails

Liberty Tax Service 603 N. Providence Road Tax services

D Sport Graphics 1034 E. Walnut St. Engraving services

Pride Consulting & Tax 1512 A W. Business Loop 70 Financial consulting, tax prep

D.J. Roofing Supply 2904 Paris Road Wholesale and retail sale of roofing materials Direct Advertising 2305 Winchester Drive Graphic design Distant Planet Comics & Collections 601 W. Business Loop 70, Suite 263 Comics and collectibles District Flats 120 S. Ninth St. Leasing office

78 \\\ march 2015

Jack in the Box 1401 Grindstone Parkway Fast-food restaurant

Ronna Birenbaum 415 W. Walnut St. Teaching piano lessons in home Smoothie King 805 E. Nifong Blvd., Suite G Nutritional meal The Tiger Shack 1400 Fellows Place Retail tobacco accessories Wehoit LLC 500 E. Walnut St., Suite 105 Business management and marketing consulting CBT

By the Numbers ›› Boone County statistics

Criminal homicide totals, by year

5.96

0

1994

1993

Source: City of Columbia, Uniform Crime Reporting Data

5.36

1996

1995

4.95

1997

4.78

1998

4.2

4.42

1999

2000

5.16

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

2001 2002

ROBBERY TOTALS BY YEAR

84

138

6.45

4.97

5.12

4.88

5.35 4.3

3.88

2004 2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

3.63

2013

= $10,000 131

113

Lawyers

Security guards

average annual wage:

average annual wage:

Paralegals & Legal assistants

Police and sheriff’s patrol Officers

average annual wage:

average annual wage:

112

240

140

Total calls for service

75,017

73,668

72,613

69,648

68,659

69,619

66,680

65,478

67,101

60K

63,786

70K

72,626

Source: Columbia Police Department Dispatch Data

0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Year

280

140

Burglary totals, by year

Source: City of Columbia, Uniform Crime Reporting Data 836

850 Total Calls

2011 2012 2013

Total Calls

500

482.74 452.38 454.71 453.61 467.24 477.8 440.12 435.3 460.43 453.83 468.86

2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

106 114

100

166 162

157

141

80K

450

5.28

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics; May 2013 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates; Columbia, Missouri

0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Year

Calls for service, per officer 0

2003

4.8

Legal and protective service occupations

Source: City of Columbia, Uniform Crime Reporting Data

200

Calls Per Officer 400

4.82

4.78

Year

Source: City of Columbia, Uniform Crime Reporting Data

Year

5.57

6.52

7

6

Total Robberies

Year

0

Criminal Homicides 1 2 3 4 5

Violent crime rate, per 1,000 people 7 Violent Crime Rate

The CBT takes a look at local law enforcement, legal occupations and crime data to give you a lay of the land.

Source: Columbia Police Department Dispatch Data

First-line supervisors of police and detectives

798 784 692

650

506

459

70

703

544 594 552

450 428

average annual wage:

0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 Year

arson totals, by year

Source: City of Columbia, Uniform Crime Reporting Data 30 28

property crime rate, per 1,000 people

75 61.86

20

17 12

10

10 10

7

10

14

11 7 6

0 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 Year

Property Crime Rate

Total Arsons

57.94 54.92

50

Source: City of Columbia, Uniform Crime Reporting Data

61.44

57.04 51.15

46.45 40.66 39.99

37.34

38.25 0

1993

1994

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001 2002 2003 Year

33.78 33.94

33.57 34.76

2004 2005

2006

2007

39.11

38.07 36.90 39.15

38.15 38.04

2008

2009

2012

2010

2011

2013

columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 79

8 Questions

➜ University of Missouri School of Law, 203 Hulston Hall, Columbia, MO 65211 • 573-882-6487

›› Get to know your professionals

Start Early, and Do Good Often Angela Drake, supervising attorney, MU School of Law Veterans Clinic 1. How did the MU Veterans Clinic get started? The clinic started when the stars aligned perfectly. Two students, who were also veterans (Scott Apking and Larry Lambert), approached Gary Myers, our dean. Dean Myers was very receptive to the idea, as he had seen it successfully implemented in other law schools. Scott and Larry were my students, and after they told me about the idea and the discussion with Dean Myers, I wanted to be the lawyer to help teach the clinic and get it going. Of course, we needed some money to get started, so the law school’s assistant dean, Bob Bailey, and I went out to do some fundraising, secured five years of seed money, and we were off. It all came together in less than five months.

4. How do you find students to be involved with the Veterans Clinic? The students have to interview to be accepted into the clinic. We are limited to eight students per semester. The students submit resumes, dress for a job interview and come to my office for a little cross-examination. I then select the class to enroll for the academic year.

5. How do the students benefit from being involved in the clinic? Students gain real-world experience. They help real clients, look at lengthy medical records, work with doctors and write briefs.

The clinical experience requires the students to marry the intellectual knowledge they have gained with the practical skills they will need after they pass the bar examination.

3. How do you become connected with veterans in need of assistance? We receive referrals from the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program in Washington, D.C. We also receive referrals from attorneys in the state, other professionals in the community and the American Bar Association.

on the web 80 \\\ march 2015

Photo by Sarah Redohl

2. What services are provided? We help veterans and their dependents secure disabilityrelated compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. We also help veterans who need help with discharge upgrades.

6. I understand that there are a variety of clinical offerings through the law school. How, if at all, do they work together?

The Veterans Clinic at the law school is one of several skills-training opportunities we offer to our students. We also have a Criminal Prosecution Clinic, Family Violence Clinic, Innocence Clinic and Mediation Clinic, in addition to a Landlord/Tenant Practicum and a Legislative Practicum.

The Veterans Clinic benefits from the deep knowledge base the school’s other clinical instruc-

tors have gained in their decades of practice and have passed on to the students before they enter the Veterans Clinic. Clinics are a different type of learning tool, as there are real client interests on the line.

7. What has been your most rewarding experience since becoming involved in the clinic? It’s hard to pick one. Our clients, without exception, are sincerely grateful for the help we provide. They have often spent years trying to move their claims without any luck or hope. To pair clients such as this with smart and enthusiastic students is pretty special.

8. What is your background with the military, as well as the legal industry? I am an Army brat.

My father was an officer in the 101st Airborne. He was killed in Vietnam in 1970. My law school education was paid as a result of the benefits I received from his service.

I have practiced law for 30 years now and always worked in complex commercial litigation at firms in Kansas City and Springfield. I have always liked to train the younger lawyers and am thrilled to be at the law school now. There is so much good a lawyer can do in the course of his or her career. Start early, and do good often is my goal for the students’ pro bono life. CBT

➜ Head Fxxxx online to columbiabusinesstimes.com for extended answers to Angela Drake’s 8 Questions.

ADVERTISER INDEX Accounting Plus...............................................83 Anthony Jinson Photography.......................3 Boys & Girls Club................................................ 11 Budget Blinds.................................................... 22 Caledon Virtual....................................................5 CARPET ONE.......................................................7 CenturyLink........................................................14 City of Columbia Water & Light................. 32 Columbia Chamber of Commerce.........19 Columbia College............................................ 27 Columbia Regional Airport...........................16 Corporate Identi-T's.......................................14 D-Sport................................................................66 Designer Kitchens & Baths..........................70 Fry-Wagner Moving and Storage.............. 72 Gibbs Pool and Turner................................... 12 Hawthorn Bank.................................................84 Heart of Missouri United Way.................... 77 High Pointe Financial Group........................16 Inside The Lines..................................................6 Jazzercise............................................................ 31 Landmark Bank...................................................2 Lincoln University............................................70 MayeCreate Web Design................................9 Mediacom............................................................10 Mid-Mobile Notary Services........................ 12 Midwest Computech..................................... 27 Naught Naught Insurance Agency...........81 PCE Inc....................................................................8 Personal Touch Cleaning Service............30 Room 38..............................................................76 Starr Properties.................................................81 Superior Garden Center/ Rost Landscape............................................... 72 The Bank of Missouri...................................... 28 Van Matre Harrison Hollis Taylor and Bacon PC...................................... 74 Wilkerson & Reynolds Wealth Management..................................................... 78 Wilson's Fitness..................................................4 columbiabusinesstimes.com /// 81

Flashback ›› Then and now

➜ The Columbia business landscape is always evolving, but it’s important to remember our historical roots.

By Matthew Patston PHOTO BY BEN MELDRUM

Eckles Hall stands on Rollins Road, close to the eastern border of the University of Missouri campus. It was a conveniently farflung location for students in the building a century before: just across the street, the 100 or so cows and bulls in the university herd grazed in the space now occupied by the veterinary school. At that time, Eckles Hall was just called the Dairy Building, home to the first collegiate dairy husbandry department in Missouri.

The Dairy Building was part of a group of MU buildings designed in 1901 by the architectural firm Cope and Stewardson, who were renowned for the Collegiate Gothic style that swept through American colleges at the turn of the century. In April of 1901, the Missouri Legislature created the department and designated $40,000 (a little more than $1 million when

adjusted for inflation) to the school for “laboratories for livestock judging, dairy instruction and veterinary science.” C.H. Eckles was appointed department chair, with almost immediate success.

The school gained international notoriety in 1910, when a cow nicknamed “Old Jo” set a number of worldwide dairy production records. Old Jo proved to be a useful recruiting tool, and an addition to the building was added in 1938 to accommodate the department’s growth in students and researchers.

Eckles Hall was in close proximity to the dairy barn until 1959, after a fire destroyed a section of the barn, and the herd was moved to a new site west of Columbia.

Until 1972, MU-brand dairy products were sold in a small retail shop inside Eckles Hall.

The internal production also included three flavors of ice cream for sale. The shop was a forerunner to Buck’s Ice Cream Place and its signature Tiger Stripe flavor.

Ice-cream research began in the 1920s and grew through the work of professor Wendell Arbuckle, who would later go on to consult for Baskin Robbins. After fiscal issues caused the dairy plant to shut down in 1972, it took the fundraising and endowment efforts of Arbuckle to restart ice-cream research in 1989. New equipment was donated, and the current location of Buck’s Ice Cream opened the same year.

The last major development of Eckles Hall came in 2000, with the addition of the William C. Stringer Wing on the east side of the building, which inched the building closer to Old Jo’s former stomping ground. CBT

➜ We love Columbia business history. If you have any interesting photos and stories, please send them to Editor@BusinessTimesCompany.com 82 \\\ march 2015

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