CEO Roundtable w. Fred Parry

The retired Landmark Bank chairman who has studied economic trends in Columbia/Boone County for 38 years says the decision by Central Bank to go public is a smart move. Former Landmark Bank chairman Jeff MacLellan joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” program. “What they’ve done is they now have access to capital markets. And for a bank to grow you really need, particularly if you’re going to grow quite a bit, you need access to capital markets. And if you look at their performance over time, they’ve always done really well,” Mr. MacLellan tells Fred Parry, who asked him what he means by capital markets. Mr. MacLellan tells listeners he is referring to stock. Mr. MacLellan also discussed Columbia’s economy since he arrived in 1987 and says it’s been resilient. The biggest change he’s noticed is Columbia’s population. “When I came here in 1987, the population was about 67,000. And today it’s somewhere north of 131,000. So the town hasn’t quite doubled but almost. I mean it’s really close,” he says. Mr. MacLellan tells listeners that the common denominator for that growth is the University of Missouri. He and Fred also discussed Jefferson City’s population, crime in Columbia, the real estate market and other topics during the interview. He says Columbia Board of Realtor numbers show the average days on market for a home in Columbia last year was 32 and that it’s now 38 days. Jeff MacLellan was born and raised in Mexico City, before he enrolled at the Missouri Military Academy in Mexico, Missouri at the age of 14 and graduated from there. He remains on the board of directors at Missouri Military Academy and says it’s a great facility. After serving in Guam in the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam war, he earned multiple degrees from SMU in Dallas, a campus known as “The Hilltop”:

A company headquartered in mid-Missouri’s Holts Summit has been named by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the nation for nine straight years. The company is PFS Brands, the parent company of Champs Chicken, Hangar 54 Pizza and Cooper’s Express. Company founder and chief executive officer Shawn Burcham joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable.” The company credits its rapid growth to a company culture that thrives on making retailers successful. Mr. Burcham tells listeners that his company has a concept that can grow across the country. He credits hiring great people for the company’s success, emphasizing the importance of integrity. “We service 42, 43 states now. The only states we’re not in is the far northeast sector and Hawaii,” Burcham says. He notes the company’s humble beginnings, noting Champs Chicken started selling chicken breading out of a garage in southwest Missouri’s Willard. Mr. Burcham says Champs Chicken now sells in about 400 locations. While Burcham was born in Columbia, he grew up in southeast Missouri’s Farmington. He describes Farmington as a great town and a great place to grow up. He earned his college degree from Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State University) in Springfield. Mr. Burcham got his start in the food business as an intern at Mid-America Dairymen in Springfield, now known as Dairy Farmers of America:

Columbia-based Impact Support Services describes itself as a leading provider for residents with disabilities in Boone County. They strive to be the best provider in all services offered. Impact Support Services says studies show that workers who have disabilities are more likely to stay in jobs longer, reducing high turnover costs. Impact Support Services executive director Don Lafferty joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” program. Mr. Lafferty grew up in northwest Missouri’s Trenton, a town of about 5,600 in Grundy County. He earned a degree from what was then called Central Missouri State in Warrensburg. Impact Support Services used to be called Alternative Community Training. Mr. Lafferty started with the organization in 1992, working as a direct support professional (DSP). He says Impact Support Services has a staff of about 250 employees, noting about 200 of them are direct support professionals:

Columbia’s Center for Urban Agriculture (CCUA) is a nonprofit organization that aims to connect people to food, agriculture, farms and gardens. CCUA executive director Billy Polansky joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable.” CCUA houses the popular Columbia Farmers’ Market building, which holds 100 vendors. Mr. Polansky updated listeners on construction projects at the Agriculture Park, saying the welcome center is expected to open in April. The food grown at the CCUA is donated to the Food Bank for Central and Northeast Missouri. CCUA donates about 50,000 pounds of fresh, nutritious produce each year. Mr. Polansky discussed their numerous gardens as well, including the popular garden at Columbia’s Kilgore’s pharmacy. They also discussed the Food Forest at the park, which is part forest and part fruit orchard. Mr. Polansky also updated listeners on Columbia’s Henry Kirklin home:

The Columbia Orthopaedic Group (COG) has grown a lot from its humble beginnings in a small house on Broadway in 1965. It is now located 60 years later in an 80,000 square feet facility on Keene. COG surgeon and vice president Dr. Shawn Sahota joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable.” Dr. Sahota emphasizes that the needs of the patient come first at Columbia Orthopaedic Group. COG has specialized physicians and staff dedicated to the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of injuries and diseases of the muscles, bones, joints and soft tissue. Dr. Sahota tells listeners that COG has 28 orthopedic surgeons, ten anesthesia providers, three pain management physicians and 15 athletic trainers. Host Fred Parry describes Dr. Sahota as a “hometown boy.” While Shawn was born in North Carolina, he grew up in Columbia and graduated from Rock Bridge high school and from Mizzou with a degree in biology. He went to the Mayo Clinic for Medical School and did five years at Northwestern in Chicago. Mr. Parry and Dr. Sahota also discuss COG’s relationship with Boone Hospital, the sports medicine field and the surge in pickleball in Columbia

A co-founder of a Columbia-based organization that serves pregnant women and new mothers in need describes itself as a “maternity home on steroids.” St. Raymond’s Society co-founders Mike Hentges and Steve Smith joined host Fred Parry in-studio Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable”, along with Super Start preschool director Abby Skiles. Their facility is at the former Ronald McDonald House near Keene in Columbia. Abby Skiles, who grew up in Festus, runs the preschool and says they partner with parents. Abby provided listeners with a virtual tour during the interview, saying Super Start preschool has eight classrooms: an infant and toddler side and a side for two-year-olds and preschool children. Mike Hentges grew up in Jefferson City and graduated from the University of Missouri. He worked in the lawn and landscaping business in the Columbia area for 25 years before he co-founded the St. Raymond’s Society. Steve Smith grew up in Rolla and spent 43 years in the insurance business before co-founding the organization. All three guests also spoke about what the future holds for their organization:

The founder of new Columbia start-up company Be There Immersive came to Columbia in 1992 to work for Datastorm Technologies on Lemone Industrial drive. Businessman Eric Margheim joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” to discuss Be There Immersive, which uses virtual reality as a storytelling device. Mr. Margheim grew up in rural Illinois in a farming community near the Wisconsin border. He discussed the innovation behind his company and Columbia’s entrepreneurial environment during the interview. Mr. Margheim also offers advice to other entrepreneurs. Fred and Eric and discussed how big Datastorm was at one time:

A veteran Missouri lawmaker will be in his eighth and final year in the Missouri House in January. State Rep. Dave Griffith (R-Jefferson City) joined hosts Randy Tobler and Stephanie Bell live this morning on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri," Rep. Griffith is a longtime Missouri House Veterans Committee chair and tells listeners that he'll be focusing on bills that he hasn't been able to pass in seven previous years. The big one is his 100 percent disabled veteran bill, which is bipartisan. He's hopeful it can get across the finish line in 2026:

939 the Eagle's Mike Murphy of Comobuz reports a major investor fight is impacting Columbia-based EquipmentShare. Murphy reports a former board member is suing, claiming that the Schlacks family made insider deals and pushed him out to keep him quiet. Murphy quotes EquipmentShare as calling the claims bogus. Mike Murphy joined host Fred Parry in-studio Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle's "CEO Roundtable" to discuss the lawsuit and numerous other issues. Mike Murphy tells listeners that court documents reveal a lot of details in this case. Mike also discussed a lawsuit filed in Jefferson City by hotel owners over the seven percent lodging tax:

Job Point in Columbia was founded 60 years in 1965 by the Cosmopolitan Club. It started by helping people with disabilities and began as Advent Enterprises. Job Point president John Scalise joined Fred Parry in-studio for 939 the Eagle's "CEO Roundtable." Job Point aims to become Boone County's first public charter school. Mr. Scalise discussed that and Job Point's history on the Roundtable. John is a Columbia native who was born at Boone Hospital and graduated from Hickman high school. He's worked at places like Lily Pad Laundry, ShowBiz Pizza, Nowell's, Gerbes, MUPC and the Holidome. He's excited about the planned charter school: