COMMUNITY
Burrell Behavioral Health Welcomes First Columbia Business into Campaign to Prevent Suicide
Burrell Behavioral Health is pleased to announce COMO Magazine and Columbia Marketing Group (CMG) as Columbia’s first businesses to participate in its suicide prevention initiative, Our Networks Engaged (ONE). Businesses and individuals that participate in ONE will receive mental health assistance training, including how-to’s on identifying warning signs, discussing suicide with loved ones, and connecting them with helpful resources. The heartbreaking, yet, hopeful truth is this: Suicide is preventable. All it takes is one person to save a life, and that’s why this Mid-Missouri business took the ONE pledge.
“Our team is very excited about being a part of this training. There isn’t a person in our company that hasn’t been touched by the devastation that suicide brings with it. Mental health is of great importance to our culture, so implementing this pledge and training was the next natural step. Thank you to Burrell for making it so easy for us to participate,” says Erica Pefferman, COMO Magazine and CMG President.
COMO Magazine and CMG join Burrell Behavioral Health, the first organization to take the ONE pledge, in committing to provide QPR (Question, Persuade, and Refer) training for every one of their employees.
BUSINESS
Local Water and Wastewater Operations Company Merges to Provide Enhanced Service and Greater Resources
Midwest Water Operations (MWO) Vice President Terry Merritt announced that the company will merge with Alabama-based company ClearWater Solutions (CWS). Combined, the partnership will employ 400 people and provide water and wastewater operations and maintenance services to municipalities across 12 southeastern U.S. states.
“We are thrilled to be joining forces with the people at ClearWater Solutions,” said MWO President Ben Kuenzel. “It has been a pleasure getting to know one another throughout this process, and we see many similarities in how these two organizations operate.”
According to Merritt, “MWO has historically been focused on O & M [Operations and Maintenance] for private water and wastewater utilities,” added Merritt. “With CWS, not only can we serve private utilities across a broader geographic footprint, but we also see tremendous opportunity to serve municipal clients in our key states.”
“This partnership is an incredible opportunity for our organizations to enhance our combined service offerings and draw on a larger footprint to better serve these communities which we are so passionate about,” Steve Cawood, CEO of CWS, commented.
CELEBRATION
Boone County Family Resources Awarded Three Year CARF Accreditation
CARF International announced that Boone County Family Resources (BCFR) has earned 3-year accreditations for the following programs: Community Employment Services: Job Development & Employment Supports; Community Integration; Employee Development Services; Family Services; Service Coordination, and Supported Living.
The latest accreditation is the twelfth consecutive 3-year accreditation that the international accrediting body has awarded to BCFR. This accreditation decision represents the highest level of accreditation that can be awarded to an organization and shows BCFR’s substantial conformance to the CARF standards. An organization receiving a 3-year accreditation has put itself through a rigorous peer review process and demonstrated to a team of surveyors during a live, virtual visit its commitment to offering high-quality programs and services that are measurable and accountable.
COMMUNITY
UScellular Invested $70.3 Million in Missouri Networks Last Year
UScellular announced that it made a $70.3 million investment in its Missouri network in 2021. This amount includes $11.3 million in general network upgrades, $24 million in 5G modernizations, and $35 million in 5G spectrum that will bring additional benefits in the coming years and advance the company’s multi-year 5G network strategy.
Furthermore, 2021 saw UScellular provide $38,405 in nonprofit funding to teachers and youth organizations statewide, including $30,000 to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Columbia, $4,094 in teacher donations through DonorsChoose.org, and $4,311 through its Community Connections program. Three Boys & Girls Clubs in Missouri also received $316,525 worth of hot spots and service to help their members connect to the internet at the clubs or at home as part of the company’s After School Access Project.
“Connectivity is more important than ever right now, and at UScellular we are committed to keeping our customers connected to the people and places that matter most to them,” said Joe Cabrera, director of sales for UScellular in Missouri and Kansas. “We will continue to invest in creating a great wireless experience for customers, while also ensuring we provide critical resources for youth in our local communities.”
BUSINESS
The Bank of Missouri, Corserv Partner to Launch Comprehensive Visa Credit Card Program
The Bank of Missouri (TBOM) has partnered with Corserv, a company that empowers banks and fintechs with payment card issuing programs, to launch Visa consumer, business, and commercial credit cards in their markets. TBOM owns the card program, resulting in improved customer relationships while adding this high margin fee and interest line of business to their books. Corserv’s fully automated platform enables TBOM to service their market with minimal internal resources. The sophisticated card program includes: branded card products; a mobile app; digital underwriting; onboarding; purchasing cards; virtual cards; ghost cards; expense reporting; accountholder alerts and controls, and self-service admin portals.
“TBOM has worked closely with Corserv in establishing this new credit card program for our bank and has built the capacity to offer this program with its full suite of products efficiently to other financial institutions,” TBOM EVP and Chief Contract Services Officer Mark Barker said. “This program is a natural extension of our contract servicing business where we sponsor credit issuance for 4.5 million accounts today. The 80%-plus of banks that do not enjoy the full bottom line and franchise building aspects of credit card issuing should evaluate this easy-to-roll out program branded for their bank and their markets through our partnership with Corserv.”
