Mutrux Automotive is a longtime Columbia fixture. Cindy and Ross Mutrux’s family owned and operated shop offers full service at the islands, alignments, oil and lubrications, state inspections, brake service and A/C and all types of repair. Cindy attributes its success to the loyal customers who walk through the doors every day. She says, “Our […]
Owner Larry Herzing, at Fortified’s helm for a year, has 18 years of experience in the roofing and siding industry. He was previously one of the owners of Manor Roofing and Restoration. In founding Fortified Roofing & Siding, Herzing wanted to create a company where people were treated like family. He wanted to be able […]
Realtor Leslie Spieler-Winn has been with House of Brokers for nearly three years, learning the ropes of the residential realty business from her mother, Audrey Spieler. Spieler-Winn joined her mother after her father passed, and says of her mother, “Man, I’ve got big shoes to fill!” The business works with clients to get their homes […]
Carol Miller has been at the wheel of Central Missouri Auto Body for 35 years. The collision repair business is well established in the Columbia community. Miller credits her parents for her success. She says they “instilled honesty, integrity and compassion.” She feels these traits spill over into successful working relationships with customers, vendors and […]
Rebekah Jouret is entering her second year as principal of Christian Chapel Academy, while Early Education Director Courtney Turberville is entering her fourth. CCA provides year-round nurturing care for infants to two-year-olds, three-year-olds through eighth grade, and a summer program for three-year-olds through fifth grade. All offer part-time and full-time options. Both women share a […]
Benjamin Hamrah, of Peachtree Catering, was basically born into the business. His parents ran multiple food service businesses throughout his childhood and he followed in their footsteps. He attributes his success to his parents, saying his father taught him everything he knows about the food industry and running a business, while his mother taught him […]
For 50 years, Columbia Eye Consultants Optometry has been providing comprehensive eye care including contact lenses, glasses, treatment of eye disease, pediatric eye care, low vision and general eye care. The recent addition of Nathan Hesemann, MD added general ophthalmology and cataract surgery to their services. The doctors enjoy helping patients maintain a lifetime of […]
Nelly Roach, president, and J. Michael Roach, creative director, of Caledon Virtual, were both raised by strong families that valued hard work and personal relationships, two things that factor into their business daily. As a full service marketing agency, the Roaches identify under-served niches within their passions and interests to off their services to business […]
For Joel and Pam Mietzner, EcoWater Systems is a family busieness. Joel started working for his father at age 13 at his dad’s EcoWater dealership in Kankakee, IL. After Joel moved to Jefferson City, Missouri in 1983, he began working for Nelson Perry at the EcoWater location there as a service worker. In 1998, opportunity […]
Elizabeth Lowry, Chief Executive Officer of Professional Technologies, is fascinated by the power of emerging technology. With everyday wireless services, drone technology, artificial intelligence, data analytics and digital identity, business processes are changing every day. Lowry is interested in helping Columbia businesses use these technologies to become more successful and profitable. As a one-stop service […]
Warm weather naturally makes us want to wear lighter outfits, and this includes shoes. Sure, flip-flops might be your go-to, but admit it, they’re not the best solution for all day wear. Read on to learn what three summer shoe styles, under $100, Arches Footwear recommends you consider. We’ve also helped you out with an […]
Catherine Ryberg, a senior at Rock Bridge High School, doesn’t sweat the small stuff. She goes straight to the Big Issues and is already having an impact on them. She’s president of Rock Bridge Reaches Out, the community service student organization, and she’s a founding member of the Youth Advisory Committee for Columbia. “From the […]
Caroline Critchfield, a senior at Rock Bridge High School, is royalty. Instead of holding a scepter and wearing a crown, picture her holding a rolling pin or a toilet plunger and wearing a chef’s toque or ball cap. This multi-faceted princess earned her royal title at Kanakuk, a Christian camp for 300 girls, ages 6 […]
Battle High School senior Emma Davenport took on “Selfie Culture” in a recent series of artwork. When she showed a distorted self-portrait to the fifth graders she mentors, one of them shouted out, “That’s ugly!” “They were right, but ugly doesn’t mean bad,” Emma wrote in her essay. “The comment opens up the opportunity to […]
In the summer between her junior and senior years at Hickman High School, Laura Cox experienced what she calls a life-changing opportunity. She was accepted into the Missouri Public Affairs Academy at Missouri State University. Thirty students from around the state spent part of each day of the week-long academy volunteering in some capacity at […]
Arthur Betts, a senior at Harrisburg R-VIII High School, struggled with some of the 11- to 13-year-old boys he supervised at a military camp in Michigan last summer. “Those individuals did nothing but cause problems: some of them just wouldn’t follow orders, others would get into extremely heated arguments with other recruits that almost escalated […]
Justin Hajicek, a senior at Rock Bridge High School, has been on missions to Paso Real, Honduras, four times in the last seven years. He hopes to become a doctor or other medical professional and is considering becoming a medical missionary. On his trips to Paso Real, he helped dig and build latrines, worked with […]
Rock Bridge High School senior Boonakij Palipatana had some doubts when he first stood in front of a class of children with special needs. “I was wondering how much of a difference I could actually make. I started off with a lesson that would excite the students, and prepared for them to do the greatest […]
Rock Bridge senior Mariah Dale knows the power of storytelling. She is a gifted singer and musician who wants to use her skills to tell meaningful stories through music and digital media to change attitudes and lives. Mariah was on the receiving end of gifted storytellers when she went on a mission trip to Gary, […]
Rock Bridge senior Timofey Kolenikov has wide-ranging talents and interests, from classical piano to math. He isn’t set on a career trajectory just yet, but knows the time he has spent as a volunteer at Cedar Creek Therapeutic Riding Center will inform his attitude toward others forever. In the fall of 2015, Timofey’s younger brother, […]
