Bloomsdale Fabrication & Welding, Inc.

Photo Credit: Lyubuv Strauss

Mr. Cooke has more than thirty-eight years of entrepreneurship, starting out as a cabinetmaker and starting his own company, Fine Home Finishers at the age of twenty.  Fine Home Finishers is a custom cabinet and remodeling business that has enjoyed success through word of mouth; it’s only advertisement.  In 2007, he purchased Print Media, Inc., which still operates as a small, commercial printing company.   In the fall of 2008, he purchased Bloomsdale Welding Co., then operating as a small, family-owned welding business; primarily welding new equipment for the local agricultural industry and for both the surface and underground mining industry.

Almost immediately following the purchase now known Bloomsdale Fabrication and Welding, Inc., the slowing economy threatened, which led Terry to expand the once largely agricultural welding shop into the structural steel arena.  The expansion has had a resounding impact on gross revenues and net income.

Bloomsdale Fabrication and Welding, Inc. has gained steady growth under Mr. Cooke’s leadership and has earned a reputation for integrity and on-time delivery of product, while maintaining a superior level of quality.  It is not uncommon to find Terry in the shop with an eye on quality and doing whatever it takes to get the job done.

Terry credits his success to a supportive family, a formidable work ethic, his ability to organize and motivate employees, and a no-nonsense approach to business.  He adds that he has been fortunate to acquire some key employees, including his daughter, Mindy, that have contributed to the continued growth of the company.  Mr. Cooke praises the SBA program as key to the success and development of his business.  Today, Bloomsdale Fabrication and Welding, Inc. has grown from 10 employees in 2008 to 22 employees.

Terry is married and is proud to have two grown daughters and four grandchildren.  Terry is a history enthusiast with a quest for learning and enjoys precious down time boating and spending time with family and close friends.

Clayton Agri-Marketing, Inc.

Tony Clayton, President of Clayton Agri-Marketing, Inc., has been involved in international marketing of animal genetics and agricultural products, both in the private and government sectors, for more than 26 years. He leads one of the largest companies in the United States, focusing on live animal trade that includes beef and dairy cattle, goats, horses, sheep, swine and agricultural equipment and has exported to 46 countries. From 1996-2006, Tony served as a consultant to the National Swine Registry, responsible for international promotion activities funded by the Foreign Agricultural Service – U.S. Department of Agriculture for the Duroc, Hampshire, Landrace and Yorkshire breeds of swine.

Before starting his own company, Tony was employed by an Illinois-based livestock exporting firm as director of market development from 1992 to 1996. He served as coordinator of the International Marketing Program with the Missouri Department of Agriculture from 1985 to 1992, responsible for promoting Missouri’s livestock genetic industry to potential worldwide buyers.

Tony was raised on a diversified crop and livestock farm in southwest Missouri. He is a 1982 graduate of the University of Central Missouri with a B.S. in Agricultural Education. Tony is also a 1980 graduate of State Fair Community College with an A.S. in Agri-Business. He has received the Distinguished Alumni Award from State Fair Community College and Distinguished Alumni Award from University of Central Missouri’s Agriculture Department in 2002. Clayton Agri-Marketing, Inc. has also received the Agriculture Exporter of the Year Award from the State of Missouri. Tony is current President of the U.S. Livestock Exporters Association and Vice-Chairman of the U. S. Livestock Genetic Exports, Inc. He also serves on the U.S. Department of Agri culture and U.S. Trade Representative Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for the development of export trade on animals and animal products. Tony and his wife, Evann, have three grown children and reside in Jefferson City, Missouri.

Lone Orange Marketing Design

Photo Credit: Lyubuv Strauss

On a mission to eradicate poor design from the world of small businesses, Tiffany Hoeckelman founded Lone Orange Marketing Business Identity. Tiffany took the leap from employee to entrepreneur in 2010 and has most enjoyed helping dozens of entrepreneurs grow their business, not to mention the thrilling, yet challenging ride of being a business owner.

Tiffany has held graphic design, administrative, managerial and executive roles with organizations including Design Alternatives International, Inc., University Career Center, and UrbanFUTURE. Committed to the support of small business, Tiffany is an active member of the National Association of Women Business Owners and runs Self-Employed St. Louis, a local networking group.

Armed with a degree in visual communications (that’s academia speak for Graphic Design), years of freelance design and seasoned by 14 years of wearing countless hats in small business environments, Tiffany ventures to deliver to clients a Visual Business Identity that they can be proud of in the marketplace!

Coiley E. Reeves, Jr., Operations Director

Scott W. Mosher, Sales and Marketing Director

The SOHO Shop

Founded in February 2008 by partners Bryan Jefferson and Coy Reeves, the SOHO Shop has been making its customers’ lives simpler through the intelligent use of smart technology for the past five years.

Originally, Jefferson and Reeves were trying to incorporate envy-inducing technology into their own houses. They blogged about their experiences and successes, and started receiving calls for assistance and for bids on new projects. Recognizing an opportunity, the pair built a website, ordered some business cards, and got to work. Initial planning and execution happened quickly. A fast-food bag­–outlining their business goals and company culture guidelines–still hangs on the wall of their office, reminding them of their humble beginnings.

With a business model that included using their own homes as system design labs and staging displays, the SOHO Shop began to grow, adding their first employee before the close of their first year. In May of 2010, after weathering the storms of the housing downturn, the SOHO Shop opened its first facility and showroom.

Keeping the corporate focus on technology that is meaningful to people, the SOHO Shop double in size in 2010, welcoming a dedicated sales director and opening a branch in Dallas, TX due to demand in that area. With a continued eye towards emerging technologies and alternate purposing of existing innovations, 2011 saw the SOHO Shop moving into their current headquarters in New Town, St. Charles, and opening a second satellite branch in Des Moines, IA.

The SOHO Shop is always looking ahead, and is setting its sight next on growing technology that helps the community as a whole. From a technological standpoint, the SOHO Shop’s inventions and innovations have been used to protect people’s property and families, create efficiencies in the way that people live, assist disabled customers with everyday tasks, and generally improve overall quality of life. From a traditional standpoint, they’ve been bettering the community in a very real way by creating jobs. Employing 18 people today, the company is on target to hire another 10 in 2013.

Clontz Business Services, LLC

d/b/a Accurate Business Services

Jeannine Clontz, owner of Accurate Business Services specializes in marketing and social media support, training and consulting to small and home-based businesses. Jeannine works with a team of virtual professionals to help provide the top-notch services and support her clients have come to expect. Jeannine’s passion and research in the area of business ethics has led to a speaking and writing career on the subject, and she speaks internationally.

Her company Clontz Business Services, LLC was established in August of 1998. Not long after starting her business, Jeannine joined IVAA (International Virtual Assistant Association), one of the organization’s first 30 members. IVAA has grown to become the premier industry association representing virtual professionals worldwide.

Jeannine is a writer, author, VA coach, and speaker on many business topics. Her successful book detailing the process for starting and growing a VA practice, Entrepreneurial Freedom, has received rave reviews and is being utilized by several community colleges nationwide as a part of their business curriculum.

She is the winner of multiple awards, most recently, the 2009 Thomas Leonard International Virtual Assistant of Distinction; and the 2012 International Virtual Assistants Association Volunteer of the Year.

Wexford Labs, Inc. 

For almost 40 years, Wexford Labs has been providing cleaning and infection prevention solutions to the healthcare, education and industrial environmental services industries.  J. Owen Flynn (1923 – 2000) and his wife Loretto Flynn began the business out of their home.  They manufactured in the back of their brother-in-law’s small printing company. They were soon joined by Owens’s sister Catherine Goelzhauser, the first Administrative Assistant. Catherine worked 7:30 am to 5:00 pm every day until her retirement in 2003 at the age of 82.

In 1976 Wexford Labs developed the first broad-spectrum germicidal detergent, which is neither orally toxic nor a primary skin irritant.  In a very short time they were able to lease their own space in Hanley Industrial Court.  In 1984, Wexford Labs constructed the first of 3 buildings at their current location in Kirkwood.  The second generation was involved from the very early years with many nieces and nephews working in all aspects of the business.

In 1986, Owen and Loretto’s son Joseph Flynn (1949 – 1991) joined the business.  Their daughter, Mary Anne Flynn-Auer, a registered nurse, came on board in 2001 to continue the Wexford Labs mission of developing and manufacturing highly effective, safe, and innovative disinfectant products.  After spending over 20 years in the acute healthcare setting, she saw first hand that cleaning measures make a big difference to the health and safety of staff, patients and visitors. This applies not only in healthcare but in all settings including educational, industrial and office buildings.

Wexford Labs currently distributes nationally and recently began exporting to the Middle East.  The company is in the final phase of releasing one of the first environmentally preferable hospital grade disinfectants as part of a pilot program with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Design for the Environment (DfE).  The third generation started coming aboard in 2009 with Peter Flynn-Auer working summers in the manufacturing plant.  Several of his cousins have completed internships at Wexford Labs since that time.

Mary Anne Flynn-Auer is a member of Association of Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA), Association for the Healthcare Environment (AHE), Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA), Institute of Private Business at the John Cook School of Business, and National Association of Women Business Owners.

Christopher B. Lissner, Partner

David B. Ott, Partner

Michael T. Lissner, Partner

Acropolis Investment Management, LLC

Acropolis is a St. Louis-based, fee-only wealth management firm. We serve individual investors, institutional investors and 401k plan sponsors. We specialize in retirement planning together with 401k and IRA rollovers.

Our mission is to consistently deliver trusted advice, a personal relationship, and positive results for our clients.

Our Values

These values support our mission:   Integrity above all else.

Legendary Chairman and CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch, wrote that “integrity is just a ticket to the game.  If you don’t have it in your bones, you shouldn’t be allowed on the field.”  We couldn’t agree more.

The client always comes first.

When we created Acropolis, we could have established any business structure.  We chose to form a Registered Investment Advisor and accept the accompanying fiduciary responsibility that requires us to put client’s interests first.

Take the path with the least risk.

When establishing client goals, we have always said that clients should take the least amount of risk necessary to meet their goals.

No one can predict markets.

The Nobel Prize winning physicist Niels Bohr said, “Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”  Many industry practitioners make eloquent forecasts about the market’s ups and downs, but we have yet to see anyone (including ourselves) do this with any precision or consistency.

Focus on process.

Given that we can’t predict or control markets, we focus on the things that we can control through a series of disciplined processes from determining an asset allocation to buying and selling securities.  While we can’t control the outcomes, having defined practices in place helps us manage risk and reduce the powerful emotional influences that can dramatically affect an investment portfolio.

We invest alongside our clients.

This may seem obvious, but there are many people in the investment business who don’t follow their own advice.  John Bogle, the founder of Vanguard mutual funds, said that among the 4,356 equity mutual funds, 53.1 percent of the fund managers didn’t own a single share of the funds they managed.  We believe that putting our own money at risk in the same securities as our clients keeps us keenly aware of the risks and opportunities.

We are fee only wealth advisors and financial consultants focused solely on the goals of our clients, so if you are looking for retirement planning advice, needing help rolling over a 401K or IRA or you are an institutional investor, Acropolis Investment Management is here to help. Please give us a call to learn more about our comprehensive financial planning services.

Civil Design, Inc.

With more than 22 years experience, Ms. LaRose founded CDI in 1996 to provide responsive, quality-driven civil engineering services.  Since that time, she has grown CDI into a well-respected firm that has been an integral team member on many of MSD’s most recent projects.  Under Vicki’s direction, CDI has experienced continuous success, gaining a reputation for delivering on-time, in-budget designs for construction management, environmental, transportation and site development projects.  Vicki provides executive leadership and project oversight on all CDI projects.  In this role, she is responsible for maintaining proper staffing levels, managing contracts, providing sufficient capital resources, and safeguarding client satisfaction. Vicki began her career with St. Louis-based Sverdrup Corporation (now Jacobs Engineering), spending eleven years in a variety of design, project management and leadership roles within their Environmental and Transportation divisions. Vicki maintains an active role in promoting the engineering industry.  She is involved with the American Society of Civil Engineers, Engineers Club, Engineers Without Borders, Women’s Transportation Seminar, and the Society of Marketing Professionals.

Jeff Computers & Study X

 Jeff Minnis began repairing computers for friends and family in the mid-90’s when he was in middle school.  He continued working on computers while attending Parkway West High School, earning spending money and learning. Jeff and his brothers, Matt and Jamey, began their fascination with computers when their grandmother bought them an Apple II computer in the early 1980’s.  Both brothers are in the computer field.  Matt lives in St. Louis and works in IT.  Jamey lives in Los Angeles and is a programmer.

During high school, Jeff developed a learning software program to help him study.  He began to share it with students and teachers.  Eventually, he named the program “StudyX.”

At Webster University, Jeff obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, graduating in 2006 with honors.  During his Webster career, he continued to repair computers while he updated and refined StudyX.  In 2005, he began selling StudyX online and received orders from across the US. He opened his first repair-only computer shop in Manchester in 2006.  In 2008 moved into his first retail location.  This allowed him to sell new and reconditioned computers and to provide a larger range of repair services.

A significant challenge to Jeff Computers came shortly after opening the retail operation.  In late 2008, a large Best Buy store opened just a quarter mile away.  The addition of this giant competitor has, surprisingly, turned out to be a plus for Jeff Computers.  Many shoppers who do not find what they want at Best Buy make their next stop at Jeff Computers.  And “Geek Squad” repair personnel at Best Buy have occasionally referred customers to Jeff Computers.

Jeff Minnis is a member of the very first generation of “digital natives.”  Every day he gets to live his dream of working with computer hardware and software.  Along the way, he has also learned how to successfully run a business.  Jeff says his goal for the future is to work on increasing customer satisfaction and retention.

He has had business guidance from his parents, Mary Lou and Warner Minnis, who for several years operated a successful vending machine company.  They can often be seen at Jeff Computers, offering a lending hand.

Jeff, 28, has lived his entire life in West St. Louis County.  He was born December 30, 1982, raised in Manchester and now lives in Ballwin.  He married Yin Minnis in March, 2011.  In addition to his brothers, he has a younger sister, Katie, who works as a horse trainer in Gainesville, Texas.