Business briefs: Aug. 31, 2010

Adams Dairy Bank adds two to board

Adams Dairy Bank has added two people to its board of directors.

Young Sexton is president of WingGate Travel, which he has owned and operated since 1991. David Kim is an attorney with the Kansas City law firm Van Osdol & Magruder. He is a 1988 Truman High School graduate. Sexton and Kim are also both investing in the bank.

The bank is at 651 N.W. Coronado Drive, near Interstate 70 and Adams Dairy Parkway in Blue Springs.



Local schools headline EDC breakfast agenda

The Independence EDC’s Fourth Annual Eggs and Issues breakfast – with a focus on the state of local schools – is Sept. 10. It’s from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn, 19677 E. Jackson Drive, Independence.

Three local superintendents will speak: Jim Hinson of the Independence School District, Mark Enderle of the Fort Osage School District and Paul Kinder of the Blue Springs School District.

A full breakfast is part of the event. The cost is $15 for EDC investors and $18 for the public. To register, send an e-mail to jmann@iNedc.biz or call 816-252-5777.



Grain Valley chamber September luncheon

The Grain Valley Chamber of Commerce is holding its September luncheon next Tuesday. It’s at 11:30 at the Community Center on Main Street. The speaker is David Ross of the Small Business Administration, giving an overview of programs and services. The cost is $10. Call the chamber at 816-847-2627 to register.

Small-business seminar coming up

The University of Central Missouri and the Small Business & Technology Development Center are presenting a seminar on starting and managing a small business in Missouri.

It’s from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 10 at the UCM Summit Center, 850 N.W. Chipman Road, Lee’s Summit. Topics include business planning, legal forms of business organization, regulations, financing, and marketing strategies. The presenter is Kelly Dyer, manager of Business Applications.

The cost is $79 for the first attendee and $39.50 for each additional person. Register by:

• Phone – 660-543-4402
• Fax: – 660-543-8159
• E-mail –  sbtdc@ucmo.edu
• Web – www.ucmo.edu/sbtdc

Free business seminar, then health-care update

A free seminar on tax incentives, training funds and financing is coming up Sept. 14.

It’s all morning, starting at 8 a.m., and is followed at noon by a Learn-n-Lunch program sponsored by Independence Economic Development. It’s at the University of Central Missouri Summit Center, 850 N.W. Chipman Road, Lee’s Summit.

The event kicks off with breakfast and networking at 8 a.m.; then opening comments UCM Campus Director Carolyn McKight; a presentation on state incentive programs by Terry Maglich, manager with the Department of Economic Development Division of Business and Community Services; then presentations about UCM, the Mid-America Technical Assistance Center, the Missouri Career Center and local programs, including those by Jackson County, Blue Springs, Grain Valley and Independence.

The Learn-n-Lunch program is at noon and costs $10. The speaker is Michelle Dimarob, senior manager, House of Legislative Affairs for the National Federation of Independent Business. She will discuss the new federal health-care law.

Register at http://ejcdaincentives.eventbrite.com.



Bayer to pay penalty, address safety issues

Bayer CropScience will pay a $37,790 civil penalty to settle safety allegations at its Kansas City plant just off the northwest corner of Independence.

The facility makes more than 35 million pounds of pesticides annually. The Environmental Protection Agency said the company failed to adequately implement a program to prevent and respond to chemical accidents and releases at the plant, 8400 Hawthorn Road. The company also will install air monitors to detect chemical releases and will hire an outside consultant to review accidents and chemical releases during the last five years.

The federal Clean Air Act requires that companies that store large amounts of regulated substances –  ethyl mercaptan, vinyl chloride, phosphorous trichloride, formaldehyde, 2-methyl-1-butene, carbon disulfide, chlorine, hydrogen chloride and hydrazine – submit risk management plans to assist with emergency preparedness and chemical release prevention and minimization. Inspectors in August 2007 found that the plant had not adequately done that. Among other things, the Bayer plant processes up to 5.2 million pounds of chlorine per year.