CEO Roundtable w. Fred Parry

Missouri's special session in Jefferson City is underway on congressional redistricting and initiative petition reforms changes. Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O'Laughlin (R-Shelbina) was live on 939 the Eagle's "Wake Up Missouri". She tells hosts Randy Tobler and Stephanie Bell that Missouri's Constitution has become a dumping ground for progressive causes and that IP reform is needed. She also says the Senate will start work on the special session on Wednesday and should vote on the bills next Friday:

Boone County's presiding commissioner expects construction of the new multi-million dollar Boone County Sheriff's regional law enforcement training center in Columbia to be done by fall. Commissioner Kip Kendrick joined host Fred Parry in-studio Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle's "CEO Roundtable" program. “They’re in there putting up drywall now and I think really starting to finish out the interior. The expected completion is they’re hoping for the end of October, which is good," Kendrick tells listeners. Commissioner Kendrick expects the sheriff's Department to be in there by early January, with classes starting then too. The new facility will provide an all-in-one training center for law enforcement and first responders in Boone County, as well as those who serve statewide. Commissioner Kendrick also addressed numerous other topics during the one-hour interview with host Parry, including the public safety childcare center, the recent housing study, budget preparations and an update on tornado sirens:

The median home price in Columbia in July was $352,000. While that's down from June's record high of $375,000, it's still a price many residents cannot afford. Columbia Board of Realtors chief executive officer Brian Toohey joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle's "CEO Roundtable." Mr. Toohey tells listeners that you can still find some entry-level homes in Columbia with two bathrooms and a two-car garage for under $300,000, but Toohey thinks you might not see that much longer. He discusses the soaring costs of construction materials. Mr. Toohey also says inventory levels have improved and are the best he's seen in a long time. He also says weather has been brutal for homebuilders this year, with snow/ice in January and rain and storms all spring followed by extreme heat. Mr. Toohey grew up in St. Louis and met his wife in Columbia. She is a homebuilder. Toohey also ran for a Columbia city council seat several years ago:

The Columbia Housing Authority (CHA) has served thousands of the most vulnerable residents in Columbia/Boone County since being created in 1956. The CHA was formally established by city ordinance 69 years ago. Columbia Housing Authority chief executive officer Randy Cole joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle's "CEO Roundtable." They tackled numerous issues, including Thursday's big groundbreaking ceremony for the Park Avenue project. CHA will demolish 70 aging units that date to 1964 and will replace them with 79 brand-new units that are energy-efficient. “There’s 70 units down there on three blocks, where we’re going to be demolishing them, taking them all the way to the ground. And we’re going to be replacing them with new, nice affordable housing," Mr. Cole tells listeners. Host Parry and Mr. Cole also discussed the Kinney Point project at Garth and Sexton, which is a 34-unit development. They also discussed Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe's veto of funding for improvements at Columbia's Paquin Tower apartments. Randy Cole grew up in western Missouri's Liberty, a Kansas City suburb. He started on a baseball scholarship at Iowa's Graceland University and finished his undergraduate degree at Mizzou and also earned a master's degree from Mizzou and remained in Columbia after college. Mr. Cole serves at the will of the five CHA commissioners, who are appointed by the mayor:

Approximately 70 Columbia-area business leaders and elected officials will travel to Columbia, South Carolina from September 30 through October 2 for the annual leadership visit. Columbia Chamber of Commerce president Matt McCormick joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable”. While the Columbia/Boone County contingent is expected to visit the University of South Carolina, Williams-Brice Stadium and other destinations, Mr. McCormick tells listeners there are other things there that grab his attention. “They’re doing some really cool things around downtown safety. They just did a convention center feasibility study and building (a) convention center. Revitalization of some of their streets,” Mr. McCormick tells listeners. Columbia is South Carolina’s capital city. Other popular destinations people visit there are the University of South Carolina and Riverbanks zoo and garden. The Columbia Missouri Chamber of Commerce has about 1,000 members representing about 50,000 employees in Columbia and the region. Mr. McCormack and Mr. Parry also discussed numerous other topics, including the growing homeless population in downtown Columbia and near Flatbranch park. They also highlighted the Chamber’s workforce development initiatives, which McCormack says involves a shortage of employees. “And so for us it’s everything from retention to recruitment. Upskilling is a lot of it. You know taking the great work that Job Point does and then how can we continue to build on top of things like that,” he tells listeners. Matt McCormick was born in Texas and graduated from Stephen F. Austin. He’s now been in Columbia for 13 years:

Voters in Columbia/Boone County will cast ballots Tuesday on Proposition 1, which involves exempting senior citizens from increases in property taxes. Former State Rep. Cheri Toalson Reisch (R-Hallsville) is urging voters to vote yes on Tuesday, saying this is a full freeze to include bond levies. She joined host Fred Parry in-studio Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” and discussed Proposition One. Former Rep. Toalson Reisch says seniors deserve a break on their property taxes. Meantime, voters in Columbia’s second ward will be filling a vacant council seat. Former second ward Councilwoman Lisa Meyer resigned in May for health reasons, so that seat has been vacant for more than two months. Businessman Ken Rice is running against activist Vera Elwood. The second ward includes the Belwood, Park DeVille, Parkade and Vanderveen neighborhoods along with some retirement homes. While Mr. Rice gives city manager De’Carlon Seewood a grade a “D”, he adds that the council gets in Mr. Seewood’s way. Mr. Rice also describes the Office of Violence Prevention as a breath of fresh air. Mr. Rice also joined host Fred Parry. They also tackled the issues of homelessness, public safety and Columbia Utilities:

New Stephens College president Dr. Shannon Lundeen describes Columbia, Missouri as “college town USA.” She is the 25th president at Stephens, which is the nation’s second-oldest women’s college. Dr. Lundeen joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” and outlined her immediate priorities, which include transparency and a culture of trust. “And you can’t do that without listening first. So and I value expertise from my senior leadership team. I need expertise and I value differing points of view,” Dr. Lundeen tells listeners. She notes there are only 31 brick-and-mortar women’s colleges left in the nation, and says that number gives Stephens an edge. She talked about her first impressions of Columbia and of Stephens College, including the beautiful buildings on campus. Something else a few blocks away grabbed Dr. Lundeen’s attention and impressed her immediately. “For being in, you know, college town USA, one of the last things that you would expect is that you walk three blocks from academic buildings on campus and all of a sudden you’re at an 18-acre horse facility, equestrian facility,” she says. She praises Stephens’ award-winning equestrian field. Dr. Lundeen emphasizes she has an open-door policy and wants her students to have hands-on learning, regardless of what career field they are pursuing. She also spoke in-detail about what the local business community can do to help Stephens reach its full potential: she says mentorships and internships are key. Dr. Lundeen began her position on June 1. She was born in Lake Forest, Illinois, which is near Lake Michigan. She graduated from Colgate and has held numerous jobs across the nation, most recently in Denver. Dr. Lundeen and Mr. Parry also discussed potential opportunities for collaboration with Mizzou and Columbia College:

Best-selling author John Hall of Columbia touts Columbia, Missouri at the numerous speaking engagements he does nationwide. Mr. Hall joined host Fred Parry in-studio Saturday to discuss his best-selling book "Top of Mind" and numerous other topics. Mr. Hall admits not all executives he meets at events know where Columbia, Missouri is. “When you say I’m from Columbia, Missouri or I’m from Columbia, they’re like oh South Carolina. You’re like no … they’re like oh the country. They’re like no. You’re like …and I’m a huge, huge Columbia, Missouri advocate. So I honestly took it as a personal responsibility to advocate for this beautiful, wonderful city," Hall tells listeners. Mr. Hall also discussed development and real estate during the one-hour interview and says he's bullish on real estate in Columbia. Host Parry describes John Hall as a serial entrepreneur. Mr. Hall began his career in Columbia, with real estate and student housing. He's also an advisor to companies like Relevance and Calendar:

Mizzou’s athletic director has been on the job in Columbia for 14 months. Laird Veatch joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” program. They discussed numerous issues, including the $250-million Memorial Stadium improvement project, the north end zone project and name, image and likeness (NIL). Mizzou officials say the stadium project will elevate the fan experience at Faurot and will solidify Mizzou’s competitive standing in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The project is scheduled to be done in 2026, which will be Memorial Stadium’s 100th anniversary. Laird Veatch tells listeners that NIL is an opportunity for Mizzou. He also spoke in-detail about the north end zone project and says the greatest moment in Mizzou sports history is when the university entered the SEC in 2012. “I’m sure at the time it was a little controversial and people struggled with it. There has been no move that’s happened for this place that’s impacted us more. And you think about now where we’re at and where we would be if we hadn’t. I mean it’s a dramatic platform to be on,” Mr. Veatch tells listeners. Mr. Veatch grew up in Manhattan, Kansas and played football for Coach Bill Snyder at Kansas State. He’s spent time at Kansas State, Iowa State, Missouri, Memphis, and with Learfield. Mr. Veatch praises UM System President Dr. Mun Choi, saying is great to work with and gets athletics. He also says Mizzou volleyball should get more attention from fans:

Former manager for Columbia’s Water and Light department discussing transmission lines, renewable energy and sneaky financial practices