Rob Gilligan

A proposed $860 Million dollar investment to expand I-70 was the main headline following Governor Parson’s State of the State Address last Wednesday.

Business has always been impacted and many times enhanced with the advance of technology. As digital technology advances continue at a rapid pace, new innovations in areas like Artificial Intelligence or AI can mean new opportunities and even threats to business as usual.

2022 is a wrap and 2023 is ready to begin. Looking forward to the new year ahead now is a wonderful time for business owners and leaders to think about New Year’s Resolutions.

The November jobs reports shows a year over year decrease in unemployment including a slight increase Total employment for the Cape Girardeau MSA. On the surface those numbers look good but a look at the total Civilian Labor Force tells a more important story.

This Saturday, December 17, 2022, Southeast Missouri State will hold it’s fall commencement with just over 1,000 students expected to complete their degrees and move into the workforce. We have talked many times about the impact that students have on the local and regional economy but today we will focus on the students as they become Alumni.

With over 19,000 International students enrolled in Missouri a recent report from NAFSA: Association of International Educators calculated that they bring with them a financial contribution of $621.3 Million dollars supporting some 6,416 jobs statewide

The National Retail Federation (NRF) is predicting a healthy holidays shopping market with estimated spending in the U.S. between $942.6 billion and $ 960.4 billion. How consumers choose to spend their money can be informative as we look to grow the region.

The State of Missouri has allocated $10 Million for a one-time Small Business Grant Program that is designed to aid those still recovering from the pandemic. If your business was in operation prior to January 1, 2020, and experienced a loss in year over year revenue you may be eligible.

It’s the last day of October and that means we only have two months or approximately forty workdays left before 2023 begins. In the spirit of Halloween, it’s time to think about some tricks and treats that can help make the end of 2022 successful for your bottom line.

Last week the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center (MERIC) released the September jobs report which showed a slight decrease in overall unemployment in Missouri down to 2.4%. Locally in the Cape Girardeau-Jackson statistical area our number held flat at 2.6%, slightly above the statewide average. While these numbers are hovering around historic lows there is more to the data that we should be focusing on.