Business Start Up Seminars

REDI will be hosting two panels at the Missouri Technology Expo on Thursday, October 7 in Monsanto Auditorium, Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center at the University of Missouri.

In the first panel, hear the stories of four entrepreneurs who followed entirely different paths to turn their dreams into companies. On had will be:

• Jimmy Winkelmann of The South Butt 
• Kat Cunningham, of Moresource 
• Brant Bukowsky of VA Mortgage Center
• Tariq Shah of PetScreen

In the second panel, learn about the resources available in Columbia and in Missouri for entrepreneurs wanting to turn their ideas into enterprises. Guest include:

• Raina Knox, president, Excellence in Missouri Foundation  
• Jake Halliday, PhD, CEO, Missouri Innovation Center
• Mike Crist, Enterprise Development Corporation 
• Stan Gerling, Boone County National Bank, VP Commercial Relationship Banking 

Q&A will follow both panel discussions and a reception will be held immediately afterwards.

Please register online for the Missouri Technology Expo at: http://muconf.missouri.edu/MTE2010.

For more information about starting a new business, check our website www.BusinessInTheDistrict.com.

Roots 'n Blues Information

The Roots 'n Blues 'n BBQ Festival is this weekend and runs from 5:15 to 11:00 pm on Friday, October 1 and 11 am to 11 pm on Saturday, October 2. 

Street Closures
The following streets will be closed starting at 9 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 1, through 2 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 3. 

• Fourth, Fifth and Sixth streets between Broadway and Locust Street 
• Seventh Street between Cherry and Elm streets 
• Cherry Street between Fourth and Seventh streets 
• Locust Street between Sixth and Ninth streets 
• Elm Street between Sixth and Eighth streets 

Streets with barricades will be manned by volunteers to assist visitors. 

Deliveries
No deliveries are allowed in the festival area after 10:00 am on Friday and Saturday. Please make alternate arrangements with your drivers for those two days. 

Parking
During Festival hours, free parking will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in all city garages, lots and at parking meters on open streets. Festival hours run from 5 -11 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 1, and from 11 a.m. - 11 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 2. Those who hold city parking permits are not guaranteed a space during the Festival. 


Parking is available at the university's north campus garages. 


Shakespeare's Pizza will provide complimentary bike valet parking at the corner of Ninth and Elm streets. 


Visitors are encouraged to use shuttles running every half-hour from the University of Missouri Reactor Field on Providence Road to the Columbia Convention & Visitor's Bureau at Providence Road and Elm Street. Adult fare is $3, and children under 12 may ride free. Shuttle hours are: 4 -11:45 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m.-11:45 p.m. Saturday. More information on parking shuttles can be found in the "FAQ" section on the festival's website, www.rootsnbluesnbbq.com. 


Vehicles will be subject to towing and city parking enforcement under the following conditions: when it's a matter of public safety, fire safety or hazardous conditions, such as blocking an entrance or exit; when a street is closed; or when a "no parking" notice is posted on meters or other areas. 


Please discuss parking options with your employees. 

Marathon
A 10K and ½ marathon will be held this year on Saturday at 7 am, with Flat Branch Park as the staging area. The race is early and only takes place in a small section of The District. 


Complete course information is available on the Ultramax website. 

Festival Contacts
Betsey Farris & Nicole Thieret
Thumper Entertainment
910 East Broadway, Suite 10
Columbia, MO 65201
573-442-8642
info@rootsnbluesnbbq.com 

Big thanks!
This festival wouldn't be possible without the patience and support of District businesses and residents so we wanted to thank you once again for all your help. 

Downtown Leadership Council Agenda

Downtown Columbia Leadership Council
September 28, 2010, 4:00 p.m.
City Hall New Addition
701 E. Broadway, Conference Room 2A

Agenda


1. Welcome

2. August minutes

3. Proposed storm water ordinance revisions, Steve Hunt, Public Works

4. DLC - Rules of Procedure

5. Election of officers

6. Charrette report revisions 

7. Other items

8. Public comments

9. Next meeting – October 26, 2010

10. Adjourn

New Businesses

• Wall Candy is now open on south Ninth Street selling custom wall decorations and signs.  

• The Saigon Bistro on Broadway is waiting for the construction on their new space to be completed.  

• My Secret Garden is moving to Broadway next to Landmark Bank. Congrats on the new space!

MU to Close Stewart Road

From the Tribune:

Sections of Stewart Road on the University of Missouri campus will be closed for two years starting Monday as construction crews begin installing a new biomass boiler at the MU Power Plant.

Stewart between Providence Road and Fourth Street is expected to be closed for the duration of the construction project, and the road will be closed between Fourth and Fifth streets for most of the construction work. The university also is shutting down the campus parking lot on the southeast corner of Stewart and Providence but will create a pathway through the lot for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Columbia Hits the Best Towns List Again

Columbia has been ranked the 13th best college town in the nation by the American Institute for Economic Research in their annual College Destinations Index.

This index is based on the location of the schools rather than the schools themselves and includes factors such as Academic Environment, Quality of Life and Professional Opportunity.

And here's some great economic information, as outlined by the St. Louis Business Journal:

Columbia’s “Professional Opportunity” was characterized by an earning potential, or per-capita income, of $35,998; entrepreneurial activity marked by 45.5 net new businesses per 100,000 population; and an unemployment rate of 6.4 percent.

No other cities in Missouri made the rankings.

Alley Closure

The east-west running alley between Sixth and Seventh, just south of Broadway will be closed on Monday, September 13th.  CenturyLink is doing work that requires a crane.  This alley will be closed two more times (TBD) before the project is completed.

Sidewalk reconstruction on south side of Broadway begins.

The city of Columbia Public Works Department announced that beginning Tuesday, Aug. 31, J.C. Industries Inc. of Jefferson City will begin sidewalk reconstruction along the south side of Broadway between Eighth Street and Ninth Street.

This work will result in the closure of the parking spaces adjacent to the sidewalk but pedestrian access to the adjoining businesses will be maintained at all times. The work should be completed by Oct. 12, weather permitting. Motorists and pedestrians are urged to exercise extreme caution when near the construction area.

Contact: Public Works Department - (573) 874-7250

Downtown Plan Overview

The Columbia Business Times has a great article on the recent Downtown Planning Charrette conducted by H3 Consulting. After spending weeks touring key areas in The District -- most notably the North Village Arts District and the gateway of Broadway & Providence--and speaking with property owners, businesses and residents, H3 put together a series of recommendations for developing and beautifying these spots.

For more information about the Downtown Planning Charrette or other development plans in the works, check out our website www.businessinthedistrict.com/development_studies.

Intersection of Fifth & Cherry Reimagined

Providence & Elm Reimagined