September/October 2014

www.windowworld.com

www.byerlyrv.com ssmdrs.com

3 Our TOwn

4 finance The ins and outs of 529 College Savings Plans By Jason Alderman

5 expert advice How to Maximize your Tax Benefits from Charitable Gifts

6 county Business neWs Greater north County Chamber of Commerce Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce north County Incorporated, regional Development Association

12 the Medical MeMo Miracle Drug for Life! By Stacey Coombes, M.D.

13 advertiser profile - Bylery rv Can you really get rVs for Half the Price? By Russ Patton

14 sMall Business advice How workplace Flexibility works for your Business

15 fun for all LIVE! LAuGH! PLAY! By Dave Welborn, Executive Director KEEN St. Louis

16 Business is Good in Maryland heiGhts a look into the continued growth of the city of Maryland heights By Shawn Clubb

19 calendar of events

COnTEnTS

September/October 2014

our town is a Community news publication. It is published every other month and direct- mailed to 7,150 business executives in north and northwest St. Louis county, plus online circulation. Online subscriptions are FrEE and available at www.mycnews.comFor advertising information please contact: community news 2139 Bryan Valley Commercial Drive | O’Fallon, MO 63366 | 636.379.1775 | www.mycnews.compublisher - robert Hunekeeditor - Andrew Tessmerstaff Writer - Shawn Clubbcontributing Writers - Jason Alderman | Stacey Coombes, M.D. | russ Patton | Dave welbornphotographer - ray rockwellart director - Chris Othcover photo - Courtesy of Big Stock Photo Copyright 2014 Huneke Publications, Inc. No part of the publication may be reproduced in any form without the express written consent of the publisher.

vol 5 / no 5

In this issue of Our Town I would like for

you to notice a bigger picture than the

story you are reading. The articles you

will read in this magazine will absolutely

be positive news about the area served;

north and northwest St. Louis Coun-

ty. There will not be bad news because

I prefer not to publish it. not because I

wear rose colored glasses but because

there is already enough bad news to go

around. Other media are doing a good

job of publishing it. I prefer to pub-

lish just good news because there is

also plenty of good news to go around.

Somebody needs to publish it, and I

want to be that publisher. If you have

ever read my weekly newspaper, the

Community news, you will have noticed

the same thing. Community news has

specialized in good news for decades.

Our Town magazine is my way of pub-

lishing good news that focuses on the

business community in our service area.

Several times over the years, Our Town

has covered news that included cham-

bers and business organizations serving

north and northwest St. Louis County.

That tradition will continue and this is-

sue will begin including a focus on a par-

ticular part of our service area. This issue

focuses on Maryland Heights. Other ar-

eas will be focused on in the future. I be-

lieve this new format provides a better

way of promoting as much good news

as possible. After all, there is plenty of it

to go around.

Thank you for reading Our Town.

robert HunekePublisher

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Finance

FOr many peOple, their biggeSt ex-penSeS in liFe are funding retirement, buy-ing a home and paying for their children’s col-lege education – or a portion of it, anyway. Setting aside money for these and other finan-cial goals is difficult, es-pecially when you’re trying to save for them all simultaneously and from a young age.

One of the more popu-lar college savings vehi-cles is the 529 College Savings Plan. Every state and washington, D.C. offers at least one 529 plan option, although most offer several. Key features include:

• You make contributions using after-tax dollars; their investment earnings grow tax-free.

• withdrawals aren’t taxed if they’re used to pay for qualified high-er-education expenses (e.g., tuition, room and board, fees, books, supplies and equipment).

• If you withdraw the money for non-qualified expenses, you’ll have to pay income tax and a 10 percent penalty tax on the earnings portion of the withdrawal – plus possible state penalties, depend-ing on where you live.

• Many states that have a state income tax give accountholders a full or partial tax deduction for contributions made to their own state’s plan. Three states (Indiana, utah and Vermont) also offer tax credits for contributions.

• Contributions to other state’s plans generally are not tax-deduct-ible in your home state; however, five states do offer tax breaks for investing in any state’s plan (Arizona, Kansas, Maine, Missouri and Pennsylvania).

• Each state’s plan offers different investment options, both in in-vestment style (age-based, risk-based, principal protection, man-aged or indexed funds, etc.) and in actual investment performance.

• You can choose anyone as beneficiary – your child, other rela-tive or friend.

• If the original beneficiary decides not to attend college or gets a scholarship, you can reallocate the account to another of his or her family members at any time.

• You can rollover funds to a different 529 plan or change in-vestment strategies once a year. If you want to do more than one rollover with-in a 12-month period, you’ll need to change the beneficiary in or-der to avoid taxes and penalties. (You can al-ways change it back later.)

• Contributions up to $14,000 a year, per recipient, are ex-empt from gift taxes ($28,000 for married couples).

• You can also make a lump-sum contribu-tion of up to $70,000 ($140,000/marr ied

couples) per beneficiary and then average the contribution over a five-year period without triggering the gift tax – provided you make no other gifts to that beneficiary for the next five years.

• These plans are treated as an asset of the account owner (vs. the student) when calculating the expected family contribution toward college costs, so they have a comparatively low impact on finan-cial aid eligibility.

Most financial experts recommend looking first at your own state’s plan to see what tax advantages, if any, are offered to residents. They may be significant enough to offset lower fees or better fund performance in other states’ plans.

Carefully examine the fee structure. Common fees include those for opening an account, annual maintenance, administration costs, and most importantly, sales commissions if you’re buying from a brokerage – which could be up to 5.75 percent of your contribu-tion. Buying directly from the plan eliminates sales fees but puts the onus on you to research the best option for your needs.

And finally, examine the investment performance of the funds, both when you enroll and periodically thereafter. Morningstar (www.morningstar.com), College Savings Plans network (www.col-legesavings.org) and FinAid (www.finaid.org) all have helpful com-parison tools.

Bottom line: The sooner you can start saving for college, the less your kids will have to rely on expensive loans. OT

Jason Alderman directs Visa’s financial education programs.

the ins and outs of 529 colleGe savinGs plansBy Jason Alderman

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yOu anSwer callS tO SuppOrt your alma mater, the local animal shelter and the American red Cross with gifts of money and volunteer time. And after cleaning out the closets, dressers, kitch-en cabinets and garage, you take a trunk load of donations to the thrift store.

You know your gifts of cash, time and household items may be tax deductible, but what do you need to do to verify that and maximize your deduction?

“Being charitable can cut your taxable in-come, as long as you follow a few simple rules,” says Jessi Dolmage, spokesperson for popular digital tax preparation brand TaxACT. “Those include giving to eligible organizations and keeping accurate re-cords.”

To determine if you’ve donated to eli-gible organizations, search the IrS’ da-tabase of Exempt Organization Select Check at www.irs.gov. Most religious or-ganizations and government agencies are eligible, even if they’re not listed in the database.

Keeping detailed records is important for accurate valuation of your gifts (and in turn your tax deduction) and in the un-likely event of an audit. Dolmage says re-cords should include organization name, donation date and amount.

For monetary gifts, keep the written ac-knowledgment from the organization with the donation date and amount. A canceled check or card statement with the transaction date also suffices for gifts under $250.

If you receive merchandise, benefits or privileges in exchange for a gift, you must subtract the value of those from the orig-inal gift amount. If your payment is more than $75, the organization must give you a written statement with a description and estimated value of the merchandise, goods or services.

For noncash donations, document the charity name, date and location of the

items, along with a reasonably detailed description of the items. If you receive a receipt from the charity, keep it with your records.

The IrS requires additional documenta-tion for vehicle donations. You must re-ceive a written acknowledgment or Form 1098-C from the charity for the vehicle.

noncash donations, such as clothing, kitchen gadgets and furniture, must be in good condition or better. The tax-de-ductible amount of those items is the fair market value (FMV), the price if they were exchanged between willing buyers and sellers. Special rules apply to dona-tions of cars, boats airplanes, property subject to debt, investments that have appreciated in value and inventory from your business.

Mobile apps can make tracking through-out the year painless. Donation Assistant by TaxACT tracks cash, noncash and re-curring gifts, with FMVs for more than 1,300 commonly donated household items. You can also save photos of your donations and receipts. when doing your taxes, import the information and Tax-ACT Deluxe will calculate your maximum deduction and complete your tax forms.

You can deduct charitable gifts you made between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31 only if you itemize deductions on Form 1040 Schedule A. In order to itemize, all of your itemized deductions must exceed the standard deduction amount based on your adjusted gross income and fil-ing status.

Additionally, you must file Form 8283 if your noncash contributions total more than $500, and include a qualified ap-praisal of property worth more than $5,000.

Download the free Donation Assistant app at www.taxact.com/apps and learn more about the tax rules of charitable giving at www.irs.gov and www.taxact.com/taxinfo. (BPT) OT

expert advicehoW to MaxiMize your tax Benefits

froM charitaBle Gifts

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cOunty BuSineSS NeWSarea leaders celebrate north county inc.’s anniversary

To commemorate north County Incorporated’s service to the community, nCI recently had an anniversary fundraiser at Hendel’s Market Café & Piano Bar.

At a sold out event on July 27, more than 80 business, civic and community leaders including Sen. Gina walsh, rep. Keith English, rep. Jill Schupp, County Executive Charlie A. Dooley and County Councilman Steve Stenger enjoyed dinner with wine pairing and si-lent auction.

“I’m proud to support north County Inc.’s anniversary fundrais-er because local businesses are owned by people who live in this

community, are less likely to leave, and are more invested in the

community’s future. Let’s continue to strengthen the economic

base of our community by supporting north County businesses,” walsh said.

north County Incorporated is a regional development organiza-

tion, which acts as a catalyst to define and advocate economic and

community development for north St. Louis County. nCI was es-

tablished in 1977. The Board is comprised of community leaders and

business owners. Chief Michael Gantner with Black Jack Fire Protec-

tion District is the current Chairman of the Board of Directors. Nci

1

2

3

4 5

6 7

8 91 - Guests celebrate NCI’s 37th Anniversary 2 - North County’s Grand Ladies: Karen McKay, Grace Zykan, Beverly Girardier and Cathy Bono 3 - Evenings Hostess: Hendel’s own Christina Bennett with Classique Wines and Spirits Sommelier Ryan Petersen 4 - St. Louis County Councilman Steve Stenger joins NCI Pres. Zoll for the celebration 5 - Pausing for the Cause: PSD’s Patty Gould and RGSD’s Melanie Powell-Robinson 6 - Karen McKay and St. Louis County Exec. Charlie A. Dooley join guests to celebrate 37th Anniversary Celebration 7 - Sen. Gina Walsh, NCI Pres. Rebecca Zoll and St. Louis Co. Councilman Mike O’Mara celebrate NCI’s 37th Anniversary 8 - NWCC Brian Goldman talks HSD’s Superintendent Grayling Tobias and his wife Guen into trying their luck for event’s raffle 9 - Hendel’s staff takes care of guests at Anniversary Celebration.

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cOunty BuSineSS NeWS21st annual

Mhcc & edward Jones Golf classic

at Whitmoor country club

The Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce hosted another successful golf tournament raising money to sup-port the Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce and the Education Founda-tion, which awards scholarships to local high school students with over $93,000 raised to date. GNcc

chamber Win Group to sponsor Women’s seminarBonnie Barczykowski, chief executive offi-cer with the Girls Scout of Eastern Missouri and past Greater north County Chamber of Commerce chairwoman, will be the key-note speaker at an upcoming women’s Empowerment Seminar.

The seminar, sponsored by GnC Cham-ber women in networking (wIn), will be from 9 am to 1 pm wednesday, Oct. 8, at Yacovelli’s restaurant & Banquet Center,

407 Dunn rd. in Florissant.

Barczykowski, a business owner, author and motivational speaker, will speak about “reinventing Yourself.” The seminar also will feature Marcy Shipman, regional di-rector with wells Fargo, who will discuss “10 Things a woman Should Know About Her Finances;” and a “Dress for Success” fashion show with fashions from Brief reflections and accessories from Andrea’s Boutique.

The cost of the seminar includes continen-tal breakfast during registration from 8 to 9 am, and lunch at noon.

The early-bird special is $25 for members or $30 for non-members until Sept. 17. Af-ter that date, the cost is $30 for members or $35 for non-members.

reservations can be made at www.greater-northcountychamber.com or 314.831.3500. no walk-ins will be accepted. GNcc

www.stygar.com

LEFT - Chief Bill Carson with Andy Arrick, Mayor Mike Moeller and Craig Cobler.

ABOVE - Sherry Huibonhoa, MHCC executive director, with Mike Sides, MHCC Board of Directors past chair, and Angie Lantz, a member of the MHCC Board of Directors.

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cOunty BuSineSS NeWSBest of Maryland heights awards presented at august luncheon

Presented by Community news and the Maryland Heights Chamber of Com-merce, the awards for Best of Maryland Heights were presented at the Chamber’s August luncheon.

To determine the winners of the awards,

community members nominated their favorite businesses for zip codes 63043, 63146 and 63045. The awards were pre-sented by the mayor of Maryland Heights at the MHCC membership luncheon on Aug. 13. MHcc

The Maryland Heights Chamber of Com-merce will be holding a ribbon cutting for the new u.S Bank. This ceremony will take place at 10 am Thursday, Sept. 18, at 11532 Page Service Dr.

u.S. Bank is the fifth largest bank in the united States with more than 100 offices in St. Louis and will soon have a new loca-tion at the northwest corner of Ball Drive and Page Avenue. This location will pro-vide a comprehensive line of banking, brokerage, insurance, investment, mort-gage, trust and payment service products to consumers and businesses. u.S. Ban-corp and its employees are dedicated to giving back and improving the St. Louis communities they service. The company earned the 2011 Spirit of America Award, the highest honor bestowed on a compa-ny by united way. MHcc

holiday inn express & suites opens doors in hazelwood

u.s. Bank to host ribbon cutting

John Treat, general manager of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites, accepts a plaque and congratu-lations from Jon Vogt, chairman of the Greater north County Chamber of Commerce, on the re-cent opening of the hotel at 323 Taylor road in Hazelwood. Chamber members and Hazelwood city officials toured the hotel and enjoyed the grand opening festivities. For more information, contact the hotel at 314.736.1720. GNcc

• Chiropractor – Midwest Spine & Injury Center, Inc.

• Fitness – Pursuit Fitness and Performance

• Bank – Commercial Bank

• Bar and Grill – Nuts Neighborhood Bar and Grille

• Restaurant – Firehouse Subs

• Hotel – Wingate By Wyndham

• Gymnastics – Team Central Gymnastic Academy

• Web/Graphic Design and Promotions – A Skeetz Production

• Automotive – Bob’s Transmission & Auto Service

• Consulting/Healthcare – First Class Solutions

• Salon – Angels on the Balcony

• Nursery – Thies Farm and Greenhouses

• Gas Station/Convenience Store – Petro Mart

• Construction/Home Remodeling – ONEWAY Construction

• Retail – Baskets By Stephanie

• Delivery/Transportation Service – Zipp Express

• Printing – West Port Quickprint, Inc.

• Accounting – David A. Goldfarb, CPA, P.C.

• Service/Snow Removal – BSR Services, Inc.

• Not for Profit – Loaves and Fishes for St. Louis Inc.

the winners are:

2014-15 Gncc chamber directory now available

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cOunty BuSineSS NeWS

new american funding hosts ribbon cuttingThe Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce and new American Funding hosted a ribbon cutting on June 19 at 55 westport Plaza, Suite 100. Various prizes were raffled off, and drinks and appetizers were served.

new American Funding is an all-inclusive mortgage banker that strives to provide home-owners with home financing options at competitive rates and funds close to $400 million in home loans every month. Their underwriters, doc drawers and funders work as a team, allow-ing them to guarantee loan closure in 14 business days. For more information, visit them at www.newamericanagent.com. MHcc

Medical Weight loss hosts ribbon cutting

The Maryland Heights Chamber of Com-merce and Medical weight Loss Center LLC hosted a ribbon cutting on July 16 at 12205 Dorsett rd. in Maryland Heights. The event featured $10,000 worth of giveaways and free consultations.

Medical weight Loss Center LLC works to help people get healthy and stay healthy for life. The clinic offers services to help people lose weight and develop more active lifestyles. For more information, call 314.755.1555 or visit www.medicallysupervisedweightloss.com. MHcc

The Greater north County Chamber of Com-merce recently published its 2014-15 Member

Directory.

The 48-page directory includes a listing for each of the chamber’s more than 400 members. The di-rectory makes it easy for fellow members and the community to “Shop Chamber First” when look-

ing for services or products. The chamber creates the director to be a great resource to use when people are looking to do business locally.

The directory also contains a listing of organizations and service clubs in the Greater north County Chamber service area, which in-cludes Bellefontaine neighbors, Black Jack, Cool Valley, Ferguson, Florissant, Hazelwood, Jennings, Old Jamestown, Spanish Lake and surrounding areas of unincorporated St. Louis County.

Free copies of the directory can be picked up at the chamber of-fice at 420 w. washington St. in Florissant.

For more information, call the chamber office at 314.831.3500. GNcc

Photo courtesy Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce

Photo courtesy Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce

www.stcharlesconventioncenter.com

Evening Degree ProgramsUndergraduate, Graduate & Online

Westport Campus314-968-5955 webster.edu/westport WingHaven Campus636-561-2400 webster.edu/winghaven

EC-1093 SCC_Lifescape.indd 1 4/5/11 8:56 AM

Undergraduate and graduate degree programsOne night a week - Online options

Westport Campus Open Information SessionWed., September 17, 5:30-7 p.m.

To RSVP or for more information, westport@webster.eduApplication fee will be waived for those who attend.

Evening Degree ProgramsUndergraduate, Graduate & Online

Westport Campus314-968-5955 webster.edu/westport WingHaven Campus636-561-2400 webster.edu/winghaven

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10 Our TOwn

cOunty BuSineSS NeWS

Chamber Chairman Jon Vogt (far left) congratulates Team ITS Computers on its first-place finish at the Chamber’s 2014 Scholarship Bowl. Proceeds from the Scholarship Bowl go toward scholarships for local high school seniors.

Three members of Team Valley Industries, along with Chamber President Carolyn Marty (far left), Chairman Jon Vogt (second from left) and Valley Industries Executive Director Jim Guyre (far right), proudly display the team’s last-place trophies. Photos by Debbie Wright

‘Bowling for scholarship dollars’ a huge successThe energy inside the bowling center was charged with excitement as 174 bowlers hit the lanes to raise money for the Great-er north County Chamber of Commerce’s Scholarship Fund.

The Aug. 6 sold-out event at Crest Bowl in Florissant brought in more than $6,000 for the Chamber’s scholarship fund. The pro-ceeds are used to award scholarships to high school seniors who live in the Cham-ber’s service area. To date, the Chamber has awarded $52,000 in scholarships.

For the third year in a row, team ITS Com-puters bowled its way to first place, beating out 30 other teams. A team from Brown El-ementary School in the Hazelwood School District earned second place, while Team

Valley Industries proudly accepted its last-place trophies. The Team Spirit Award went to Hazelwood School District.

The Partners in Education Committee and the Chamber want to thank everyone who helped make this event a success. Strike Sponsors were Emerson Family YMCA, Ferguson-Florissant School District, Ha-zelwood School District, Incarnate word Academy, ITS Computers, Life Care Cen-ter of Florissant, neighbors Credit union, Paul Cerame Auto Group, riverview Gar-dens School District, SSM DePaul Health Center, Stygar Florissant Chapel and Cre-mation Services, The Lipton Group, and Valley Industries.

Lane Sponsors were AT&T Communica-

tions Inc., Catering to You Banquet Center, Christian Hospital, Attorney JoAnn Dono-van, City of Florissant, north County Chris-tian School, northwest HealthCare, St. Catherine retirement Community, Trin-ity Catholic High School, Village north retirement Community & Health Center, white Auto Body Inc., woodland Dental Care, and Zykan Family Partnership. Other sponsors included Frame Sponsors: Floris-sant City Councilman Tim Lee and Luther-an Senior Services at Hidden Lake; Pizza Sponsors: McClain Chiropractic Health & Injury and Morrison Travel and Cruise; Drink Sponsor: St. Louis Community Col-lege at Florissant Valley; and Trophy Spon-sor: Trophy world. GNcc

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cOunty BuSineSS NeWS

The Maryland Heights Chamber of Com-merce and Dave & Buster’s hosted an En-tertainment Industry night on July 31. This event was attended by Maryland Heights city officials and members of the enter-tainment and hospitality industries in or-der to network and exchange ideas about their industry to promote and grow the Maryland Heights community. Afterwards, everyone enjoyed some team building ex-ercises in Dave & Buster’s game area. MHcc

The Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce and VoIPLink hosted a ribbon cutting cer-emony on July 23 at 2465 Centerline Industrial Drive, Maryland Heights.

VoIPLink is the leading reseller of Voice-Over IP equipment in the country. with more than 20 years of experience, VoIPLink works to provide top-quality products and fast shipments from any of its three warehouses nationwide. For more information, call 866.987.8647 or visit www.voiplink.com. MHcc

The Maryland Heights Chamber of Com-merce will have its Business Expo 2014 and Membership Luncheon from 11 am to 1 pm wednesday, Oct. 8, at Orlando’s Events & Conference Centers, 2050 Dorsett Village in Maryland Heights.

Cost for the luncheon is $20 for members in addition to the $100 booth fee, or $25 for non-mem-bers in addition to the $300

booth fee. Payment is due prior to the event. Call the Chamber at 314-576-6603 to make reservations or for more informa-tion. MHcc

entertainment industry night focuses on Growing

Maryland heights

voiplinK hosts ribbon cutting

Mhcc to hold october luncheon and Business expo

Join us for thereception and

luncheon

Friday,September 26Norwood HillsCountry Club

11:30 am

Reservationsrequired

Tickets are $45 per person

For moreinformation, call314.895.6231

or visitwww.NorthStLouisCounty.com

NCISALUTES

30 LEADERSIN THEIR 30’S

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Miracle druG for life!

By Stacey Coombes, M.D.

iF yOu were OFFered a pill that could improve your mood, en-ergy level, sleep and sex life, while at the same time decrease your risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, some cancers, and osteo-porosis–would you take it? This miracle drug is actually not in a pill form but is available to everyone right now, and it’s called ex-ercise! Most people know that exercise is good, but do you real-ly know how many health issues can be improved with regular ex-ercise?

regular exercise will help you feel better and live longer. It stim-ulates chemicals in the brain that improve your mood and help you relax. It also increases your energy by strengthening muscles, and it boosts your endurance by delivering oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. This helps the cardiovascular system work more ef-ficiently.

regular exercise can also help lower a person’s blood pressure and lessen, or even prevent, the severity of heart disease, the leading killer of both men and women. Exercise also increases your HDL–the good cholesterol–and lower triglycerides.

People who exercise regularly sleep better, have less insomnia and experience better sex lives. They also report fewer instances of diabetes, colon cancer, and osteoporosis.

As a general rule, 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week is needed to gain all of the health benefits. Get started by creating a weekly plan of 30-minute-sessions five days per week or 50-min-ute-sessions three days per week.

If the thought of this is daunting, you can start by moving just 10 minutes per day–everyday. Measure your progress by keeping a diary or installing a fitness app on your smart phone.

So make it fun and get motivated to start exercising today – your life depends on it! OT

Stacey Coombes, M.D., is an OB/Gyn with SSM DePaul Health Center. She offers a broad array of women’s health services including preventa-tive care, well-woman exams, prenatal care for low and high-risk preg-nancies, as well as guidance related to family planning, menopause and minimally invasive surgery. Her office is located at 12277 DePaul Drive, Suite 305, Bridgeton, MO 63044, and she can be reached at 314.344.7585. For referral to any SSM physician, please visit ssmhealth.com.

www.rhf.org www.rickniblettphotography.com

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the ecOnOmic re-bOund haS Stim-ulated record new rV sales.

This means many rVers are trading in their current rVs to move up to a new-er model. The result is an opportunity for buyers to find a nice pre-owned rV and enjoy the benefits of rVing for a fraction of the cost of a new model. They can find these deals at Byerly, which always has a good selection of pre-owned folding campers, travel trailers, 5th-wheels and motorhomes.

Looking for a vacation cabin?

Hunters, nature buffs, families and escapists have discovered pre-owned rVs work great as weekend cabins. Even though they don’t intend to tow them, they appreciate the comfort of the amenities they offer including bedding, heat, plumbing and a kitchen. And, with the addition of a portable generator, buyers can move up

to the next level with air conditioning, TVs and more household amenities.

The castle of the sin-gle-site rV is the 5th-wheel trailer. while they are designed for use with pick-up trucks, you don’t need to have a truck except for parking it. And, frequently, the dealer can spot it for you. The split-lev-el accommodations provide more room

and privacy. Creative campers even block off the area below the overhang for storage.

It’s hard to imagine a more convenient and affordable vacation cabin than a good pre-owned rV. Of course, if you want to hit the road, Byerly in Eureka offers a score of ways to score with its se-lection of new and pre-owned rVs.

Check Byerly out at www.byerlyrv.com or call 636.938.2000. OT

nOrth cOunty inc., regiOnal develOpment aSSOciatiOn alOng with the St. lOuiS regiOnal buSineSS cOuncil (rbc) has organized an immediate business response to support small business owners and school children who were impacted by the recent tragedy in the city of Ferguson and surrounding commu-nities. Leadership with the rBC and nCI are deeply concerned and stand with the people who live, work and go to school in these communities.

The purpose of the reinvest north County Fund is twofold: first, to provide immediate relief to small business which have been hurt by this tragedy and second, to provide school districts with appropriate resources to show their children how important school is, particularly in times of distress.

“north County Inc. regional development association is pleased

to partner with the St. Louis regional Business Council to help our businesses get back on their feet and help our schools wel-come their students back for the year,” said Rebecca Zoll, Presi-dent/CEO.

The regional Business Council has stepped up with a $10,000 do-nation for this effort and has enlisted the following inaugural do-nors: the Civic Pride Foundation of the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission, Clark-Fox Family Foundation, negwer Ma-terials, Inc., St. Louis regional Chamber, uMB Bank, the universi-ty of Missouri St. Louis and the Kwame Foundation.

Further donations are encouraged; checks can be made payable to the reinvest north County Fund at nCI, 350B Village Square Dr. in Hazelwood. Donations may also be made through givvers.com through a Twitter account with #helpferguson OT

Promotion

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north county incorporated and st. louis reGional Business council announces

reinvest north county fund

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hoW WorKplace flexiBilityWorKs for your Business

with technOlOgy rapidly changing the wOrld, people need to embrace an evolving workplace. The workforce has be-come more diverse and mobile - demand-ing different needs. And while some exist-ing challenges have crossed over into the modern workplace, opportunities for suc-ceeding have never been more viable.

One of the challenges faced by small and medium-sized businesses is hiring and re-taining top talent. while small business-es routinely overcome the obstacles they face through innovative and creative so-lutions, can a solution be found when it comes to hiring and retaining employees?

Yes, it can.

research shows that one of the ways small businesses can attract and retain top em-ployees is to offer them more freedom in where they work. Sixty-four percent of small business owners report that offer-ing flexible, mobile and remote work op-tions have assisted them in hiring or retain-ing key employees according to research

in the Plantronics infographic on work-place flexibility. In addition, research from Cornell university shows small companies who granted employees a choice in how they work grew four times faster and had one-third the turnover rate of more con-trol-orientated companies.

The benefits of workplace flexibility are so important that even President Obama championed them during his white House Summit on working Families.

Best of all, the benefits of offering flexible employee work schedules don’t end with at-tracting and retaining top talent. Small and medium-sized businesses will also enjoy:

Boosted employee productivity.

The old belief was that employee produc-tivity dropped off when employees left the traditional office setting. recent research, however, shows the opposite to be true. remote workers actually log more hours than on-site workers and are more en-gaged, according to a Gallup survey. Tech-nology like Plantronics headsets allow em-ployees to feel completely connected to the office while enjoying the comforts of home, making them more productive over the same time period.

reduced office expenses.

Every manager knows that employee costs - salary, benefits, hiring and training costs,

etc. - are the most expensive aspects of running a company. For many businesses, real estate costs come in second. Allowing employees to work offsite frees up exist-ing commercial space for new employees to use, or it can even allow a company to downsize its real estate footprint and save money.

cuts in travel costs and expands in sales.

Allowing your employees to enjoy remote working opportunities not only offers your company the chance to reduce its real es-tate expenses, it can also reduce travel ex-penses as well. Hiring remote workers in new locations expands your sales foot-print when you hire professionals who live in a region instead of just traveling there. These regional sales professionals also have the opportunity to build stronger re-lationships with clients located outside the corporate office’s territory.

Flexible working options do more than just help your company hire and retain quali-ty staff. They allow your company to save money, expand sales and increase pro-ductivity. You can learn more about imple-menting a flexible working schedule and the latest technology with infographics, how-to guides, tools and resources to help your business stay competitive at www.plantronics.com/SMB. (BPT) OT

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the phySical beneFitS OF exerciSe are well knOwn. The more you exercise, the stronger you get, aches and pains begin to go away and you generally better you feel. Studies have also shown that regular exercise helps many of the body’s systems function better, keeps heart disease, diabetes, and a host of other diseases at bay, and is a key ingredient for losing weight.

Dr. Douglas Haddad is an author, nutritionist, and middle school teacher in Connecticut who is a regular contributing writer to Par-enting Special needs magazine. In a recent article, he points out that in addition to seeing the physical benefits of regular exercise new studies are showing the benefits that exercise has on the brain. regular activity is linked with increased cognitive abilities, including benefits in memory and learning.

That said, there is a disturbing trend in school and school districts in the region and across the country. Many have cut out or greatly reduce physical education arguing that more time in the classroom would increase student learning. That sounds logical; however, sever-al studies have shown a strong correlation between more time par-ticipating in physical education and improved grades and test scores.

Haddad sites a study published in 2011 in Health Psychology which discovered specific patterns of brain activity associated with exer-cise. The area of the brain affected is associated with problem-solving and complex thought. Another study found that physically fit children identified visual stimuli faster and were able to process information more rapidly than those who were sedentary.

Haddad notes that although further studies are needed to ac-curately examine the exercise-related benefits for children and young adults, sufficient studies show that regular physical activity can benefit a range of executive functions.

Kids with physical and developmental disabilities benefit from ex-ercise, as well.

Parents of children with special needs have been struggling with the lack of access to Physical Education for their children for years. Children with special needs are children first with the same needs and desires as their siblings and classmates. The difference is that some of these students need adaptations and extra support. Some have limited mobility and/or tire more easily than other kids and teens. For some kids with sensory issues, communication challeng-es or difficulties with social skills, team sports are simply not fun for them. while many educators and parents are coming up with in-dividual plans to create programs for their special needs students, too many times they are left on the sidelines or moved to a class-room to study exercise, rather than participate in it.

PE Central, a organization that provides information about devel-opmentally appropriate education programs, states: “Special phys-ical education/Adapted Physical Education (APE) is a federally man-

dated component of special education services [u.S.C.A. 1402 (25)] and ensures that physical education is provided to the student with a disability as part of the child’s special education services.”

Just about any sport or activity can be modified to allow special needs children to get the cardiovascular, flexibility, and strength-training benefits that allow kids to stay healthy and fit. Children in a wheelchair, for instance, can play basketball or tennis. Children without the use of limbs or those with mental disabilities can enjoy the therapeutic benefits of horseback riding. In the metro area, or-ganizations like KEEn St. Louis, TASK, Disabled Athlete Sports As-sociation and the Challenger Baseball program offer adaptive rec-reation and sports opportunities. Each of these groups celebrated the child for who they are, not what he or she can do. OT

Dave Welborn is the Executive Director of KEEN St. Louis, a local nonprofit which provides free recreational programs for kids with physical and mental disabilities ages 5-17. For more information visit www.keenstlouis.org

Effects of exercise are great for all kids

live! lauGh! play!By Dave Welborn, Executive Director, KEEN St. Louis

Fun FOr aLL

By Shawn Clubb

Business is

in Maryland heights good

a look into the continued growth of the city of Maryland heights

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continued On page 18

Large businesses expand, new businesses make plans to move in, and existing businesses prosper. All of these elements add up to a thriving business community in Maryland Heights.

when measuring the business climate of a city, a simple comparison of how many shops have close up and how many new businesses have come in seldom presents an accurate picture. More often, the best in-dicators are anecdotal ones. These tell the stories of major compa-nies deciding to increase their investment in the community. Other major businesses determine that they want to be in your communi-ty and not another.

That’s what the people who look at business growth are seeing now in Maryland Heights. The quality of what Maryland Heights has is im-proving and the quality of new businesses is also good.

The city also stacks up well against other local communities.

“The indictors of success are that of the 90 municipalities in St. Louis County, while we are the seventh largest in population, we are the sec-ond highest in assessed value. And in terms of sales tax generation, we’re the second highest in the county,” said Mark Levin, city adminis-trator for the City of Maryland Heights.

That volume of sales tax revenue speaks of businesses selling to oth-

er businesses, and businesses selling high-value items including home improvement products. All of these generate significant sales tax.

“Those are key indicators of a healthy business community,” Levin said.

In fact, Maryland Heights has had significant growth, said Sherry Hui-bonhoa, executive director of the Maryland Heights Chamber of Commerce.

“Maryland Heights is one of the fastest growing cities in Missouri,” she said. “In 2013, Maryland Heights was awarded Digital Capital of Mis-souri by Google. After receiving such a prestigious award, the growth hasn’t stopped.”

The designation made by Google, calling Maryland Heights the “eC-ity” for all of Missouri, was a significant one, Levin said. Only one city in each state gained that recognition. It is a reflection, he said, of the amount of business that Maryland Heights companies conduct on the internet.

Levin said the city currently has approximately 1,740 active business-es licenses. He said that number has been fairly consistent through the years. He said a number of businesses have left, while a number of new businesses have come in to Maryland Heights, and a number of existing businesses have made the investments necessary to expand their facilities there.

“To name a few,” Huibonhoa said, “we have Edward Jones and watlow Electric Manufacturing Company expanding, O’Fallon Brewery and Sun Edison moving in, and Total Hockey, nature’s Variety and world-

wide Technology recently announced as one of the 25 fastest growing companies in the St. Louis area.”

“we continue to attract and retain a large number of quality business-es,” said Levin, who echoed some of the success stories on Huibon-hua’s list and added to it. “Lately, we’ve seen the expansion of Edward Jones, certainly our largest business in town. we’ve seen worldwide Technology expand. we’ve seen the Harrah’s Casino become a Holly-wood Casino with changes in ownership.

“Edward jones is about to break ground on a new parking structure. They are finishing the remodel of where their headquarters building used to be. worldwide Technology has moved into their newest build-ing on their grounds. In the biomedical field, a company called Prism Biomedical, which assembles medical apparatus, moved from leased space to purchasing a building in town and doubled their size. Lee Bio-medical relocated into the city and is doing high-end medical. Sun Ed-ison just relocated here. They are in the solar energy field.

“There’s always somebody new coming in. Are we satisfied? never!”

Levin points to the vacancies that still exist within the city and the op-portunities that still exist in terms of space where there could be new construction. But city officials have hope that many of those oppor-tunities will transform into realities.

“we have well over 1,000 acres down in the Howard Bend area [in the bottomland near Creve Coeur Lake] that we are anticipating will de-velop over the next few years,” he said.

However, a tricky part of understanding the business climate while taking a casual look at Maryland Heights, Levin said, is the breadth as well as the depth of the business community.

with 1,700 businesses employing more than 50,000 people, there’s no one specific business sector that dominates, he said.

Although one of the key sectors that stands out is the hospitality in-dustry. Levin pointed to the planned addition of a new O’Fallon Brew-ery in Maryland Heights.

“we have 10 million people a year who visit hospitality venues in the city,” he said. “O’Fallon Brewery adds to that mix and is a great compli-ment to them. right next door, a new hotel [Staybridge Suites] is about to break ground. It’s a couple of doors down from westport Plaza.”

A healthy hospitality industry in Maryland Heights is an indicator that nearby businesses are doing well, Levin said.

“As we as a region come out of the recession, we’re seeing a number of businesses looking to grow, looking to expand,” he said. “This means expanding and relocating. we’re seeing those happen at a faster rate than they had over the last three years.”

There are now 21 hotels in town and the occupancy rate, which is a key number, keeps creeping up at those properties, he said.

“It’s a healthy enough environment that you’ve got another hotel, Staybridge Suites, that wants to be here,” he said. “The hotel business in Maryland Heights is focused on business travelers throughout the week. As business improves, more customers are coming in, more trainees are coming in. That gets reflected in more hotel use. A variety of indicators that tell us business is getting better.”

Huibonhoa said she has noticed the growth in the hospitality indus-try, but also in banking and financial institutions and manufacturing.

“However, I’ve personally noticed that we are getting more and more other niche companies because people are realizing that Maryland Heights is a very centralized location,” she said. “with access to 270, 70, 141, 64 and 40 within minutes, companies are realizing they need to locate themselves where it’s most convenient for their customers.

Photo courtesy city of Maryland HeightsWestport Plaza

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Businesses in Maryland Heights have an ad-vantage when they want to expand outside of the local community, because we are so centralized.”

Huibonhoa said the businesses that have more recently joined the Chamber reflect that same growth in the areas she named.

Levin attributes some of the growth to in-vestments the city has made into infrastruc-ture. Over the last ten to 15 years or longer, he said, the city has invested a significant amount of revenue—much of which came to it through gaming receipts—back into infrastructure. These investments have in-cluded improving many of the commercial streets entering Maryland Heights, extend-ing the Maryland Heights Expressway, and partnering with the state and St. Louis Coun-ty in completely restructuring the Interstate 270 at Dorsett road interchange.

“we maintain a great infrastructure and pro-vide great access to the region,” Levin said.

what Maryland Heights has tried to avoid doing in most cases, is support development through incentives, Levin said. It has used in-centives “every once in a while where it’s nec-essary and appropriate,” he said, and it has worked with the St. Louis Economic Devel-opment Partnership.

One incentive that the city has contemplat-ed has received negative feedback from the public. The incentive is tax increment financ-ing.

“There certainly is some pushback on some uses of TIF,” Levin said, “but that seems to be focused on big box retailers. we’ve contem-plated TIF in a number of situations, none of those being those types of development. There’s a wide range of incentives and we use them sparingly and we think appropriately.”

That has not hindered Maryland Heights’ ability to attract and retain businesses, he said.

Huibonhoa said the business growth in Mary-

land Heights helps strengthen the communi-ty as a whole and adds to its stability.

“As executive director, knowing your com-munity has a strong economic force brings an extra sense of comfort and stability,” she said. “Meanwhile, attracting new business-es means increased revenue through taxes, added goods and services available locally, and extended opportunity for employment.

“Maryland Heights is definitely growing. This is an area that people consider safe and busi-nesses know it is a great, supportive com-munity. Our chamber works very hard to support new businesses as well. we do this through ribbon cuttings, encouraging them to attend our networking events, putting their name in our membership directory and much, much more. This helps get their name out there and, as a community that likes to support its neighbors and shop local, is ben-eficial to everyone.”

Still, with all of the positive aspects of Mary-land Heights’ business climate, the city’s sta-tus as a thriving business community tends to get less notice than it should.

“Maryland Heights doesn’t get the attention that other communities do,” Levin said. “we have strong, successful businesses, making for a strong local economy.”

747-WELLTo find a great primary care provider who’s covered under your insurance plan, call 314-747-WELL (9355). If needed, you can usually get an appointment within one or two business days.

Find a doctor who’s right for you and meets your insurance needs.

MYCNEWS.COM

Photo Courtesy Edward Jones

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caLenDar of events

8 Valley Industries Golf Outing, 11:30am-6:30pm, Spencer T. Olin Golf Course in Alton

9 GnCC Coffee Klatch networking, 7:30-8:30am. at Starbucks, 1261 Graham rd.

10 MHCC Membership Luncheon, 11:30am-1pm at Hollywood Casino & Hotel

13 CHIPS Health and wellness Center’s 14th Annual run/walk, 7 am-noon, CHIPS Health and wellness Center, 2431 n. Grand Blvd.

13 Music Trivia night, 7-10pm at JFK Community Center

17 GnCC Membership Luncheon, 11:30am-1pm at Yacovelli’s restaurant & Banquet Center

18 GnCC Business After Hours, 5-7pm, co-hosts are Taylor Land Management & Life is a Party

19 Financing Your Business: Tips to the Loan You need!, 11:30am-1pm, Electro Savings Credit union, 1805 Craigshire rd.

24 GnCC women in networking (wIn), noon-1:30pm, Cannoli’s restaurant

25 GnCC Young Professionals, 6-8pm. at location TBA

8 women Empowering Seminar, 9am-1pm at Yacovelli’s restaurant & Banquet Center

8 MHCC Membership Luncheon and Business Expo, 11am-1pm at Orlando’s Events & Conference Centers

14 GnCC Coffee Klatch networking, 7:30-8:30am at Starbucks, 1261 Graham rd.

15 GnCC Membership Luncheon, 11:30am-1pm at St. Catherine retirement Community, 3350 St. Catherine St.

18 & 19 2nd Annual AYGE Fall Fest & Car Cruise-In, 11am-8pm, District 9 Machinist Hall, 12365 St. Charles rock rd.

22 GnCC women in networking (wIn), noon-1:30pm at Cannoli’s restaurant

23 GnCC Young Professionals, 6-8pm at location TBA

SEPTEMBER

ocToBER

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PAIDSt. Louis, MO Permit 2828

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