Inc. 5000 2014
Eight companies in Columbia have been ranked among the 5,000 fastest-growing, privately held U.S. companies by Inc. Magazine.
AdKarma, ranked 31st overall, was the fastest-growing company in Columbia, with a three-year growth rate of 7,635 percent and revenues of $13.3 million in 2013. GME Supply, JobFinders Employment Services, True Media, Flat Branch Home Loans, Division-D, Bluebird Network and Buchroeder’s Fine Jewelers also ranked on the Inc. 5000 list.
Columbia native Bobby Campbell founded both AdKarma and Division-D, ranked 4,242nd. Of all Columbia companies to make the list in 2014, True Media has been the longest-running fixture on the Inc. 5000 from Columbia. This is the company’s fifth consecutive year on the list.
Joe Machens awards
Four Joe Machens dealerships — Joe Machens Ford Lincoln, Joe Machens Toyota Scion, Joe Machens Capital City Ford Lincoln and Joe Machens Nissan — received WardsAuto 2014 Dealer 500 Awards.
Police cams
The Columbia Police Department will this year begin integrating TASER’s AXON body camera system into its units. The AXON camera boasts a 130-degree lens, allowing it to capture a wide field of vision, and retains image clarity even in low-light environments.
Fiber fun
CenturyLink expanded its symmetrical fiber-optic Internet service, which can provide super-fast symmetrical download/upload speeds of up to 1 gigabyte per second, to select Columbia locations in August. Columbia and Jefferson City are two of 16 cities nationwide to receive this service.
Best of Class
The 2013 vignoles and LBV Brut from Les Bourgeois vineyards received Best of Class selections in the 2014 Missouri Wine Competition. Les Bourgeois competed against more than 30 other Missouri vineyards and accumulated several other awards during the competition, including gold medals for its Collector’s Series 2012 vignoles/traminette and Collector’s Series 2012 chambourcin.
Fundraising
Central Methodist University launched a $20 million fund drive in August, the first stage of which is the construction of a $6.5 million allied health building.
MU, preferred
The Department of Defense for the Defense Systems Technical Area Tasks, a government funding vehicle that contracts both private and public institutions to assist in military technology development, named the University of Missouri a preferred contractor in August. As a prevetted, preferred contractor, MU will be able to compete with other such contractors for government projects and up to $3 billion in federal funding over the course of the next five years.
Work ready
Sixty-six local employers have committed to recognizing, preferring or recommending the National Career Readiness Certificate as part of its hiring process. The NCRC is a product of the Certified Work Ready Program, a national organization that provides training for and measurement of job seekers’ basic workplace skills, including math and reading. It is awarded at platinum, gold, silver and bronze levels depending on the individual’s measured repertoire of skills. Boone County employers that have agreed to recognize the NCRC include Commerce Bank, Tribune Publishing and Shelter Insurance.
Douglass + The District
The District’s partnership with Douglass High School received an award in the category of Downtown Leadership and Management from the International Downtown Association. Douglass and The District have collaborated since 2012 on a paid internship program that provides high school students with positions on The District Clean Team, a group that focuses on community beautification and outreach to local businesses.
SEC network
Mediacom Communications Corp. announced Aug. 14 that it would begin carrying ESPN’s SEC Network as part of a larger contract between Mediacom and ESPN parent organization The Walt Disney Co. Mediacom subscribers will have the opportunity to watch SEC Network content at any time, on any device in their home and to participate live in subscriber-exclusive events. The network will offer more than 1,000 events, including basketball, baseball and football, in its first year of operation alone.
Rainbow connection
Landmark Bank donated $1,865 to the Rainbow House of Columbia in celebration of reaching $2 billion in overall assets.
Happy staffing
MU faculty members are generally satisfied with their jobs, according to the results of the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education, which was administered throughout 2012 and 2013. But the university will continue working to improve professional conditions for its academic employees, particularly women and faculty of color. The majority of COACHE respondents reported a high level of satisfaction with their facilities, resources and interdisciplinary collaboration but suggested improvements could be made in terms of campus child care and departmental leadership. Women faculty members and faculty of color reported job satisfaction at lower rates than their male and white counterparts, especially in the area of career advancement. MU will re-administer the COACHE in 2016 to measure its progress.
Callaway woes
The Missouri Coalition for the Environment reported in early August that the water near Ameren’s Callaway 1 nuclear reactor was contaminated with radioactive tritium and Cobalt-60 at above drinking-water standards, according to a July 25 test. Ameren Missouri says these levels do not affect public drinking water supplies and that it stopped discharging treated water from the plant after the test results became known.
Top trauma
A team from the American College of Surgeons assessed University Hospital’s trauma center and reaffirmed its status as a level I trauma center, a facility that meets the highest national standards of equipment and practice in treating trauma patients. University Hospital is the only level I facility in mid-Missouri.
Go, OATS!
The U.S. Bank Foundation gifted OATS Inc. with a $2,000 contribution toward the latter’s effort to provide transportation to work for Missouri residents.
5th home
Missouri charity Coyote Hill Christian Children’s Home opened its fifth home for abused and neglected children Sept. 7.
50 years
Woodhaven, a local organization dedicated to supporting physically and intellectually disabled adults, celebrated its 50-year anniversary Aug. 23.
Teaching growth
The Columbia Center for Urban Agriculture absorbed the Columbia Outdoor Classroom Project in August and brought two new employees on board to handle what is now called the CCUA Outdoor Classroom Program. AmeriCorps members Lori McCurdy and Steve Riesenberg will lend their talents to CCUA’s education department, help schools plan outdoor learning spaces and implement Slow Food Katy Trail’s Harvest of the Month lessons in schools.
