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:

Historic William Woods University in mid-Missouri’s Fulton has an acting president. Former UPS executive Romaine Seguin worked at UPS for 38 years before retiring in 2021. She graduated from what was then William Woods College, earning a full scholarship and pitching on the softball team. The acting president joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” to discuss her role and her priorities. Romaine Seguin grew up in St. Louis and graduated from Hazelwood East high school in Florissant. After graduating from William Woods, she started at UPS unloading trucks at 3:30 in the morning and loved that job. She worked her way up in management at UPS, moving nine times and doing two stints in Europe. She praises the institution and the outstanding education students receive at William Woods:

American Outdoor Brands, Kraft Heinz and EquipmentShare are just of the few of the companies that have utilized Chapter 100 bonds in Columbia/Boone County for major job projects over the years. Columbia Regional Economic Development Incorporated (REDI) president Paul Eisenstein joined host Fred Parry in-studio Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle's "CEO Roundtable" program. Mr. Eisenstein tells listeners that there's been $750-million in new investment in Columbia/Boone County in the past 20 years, thanks to Chapter 100. Mr. Eisenstein also discussed air service at Columbia Regional Airport during the one-hour interview, including the return of United Airlines to COU and the popular daily Denver flight. Paul grew up in the St. Louis area and earned degrees from both St. Louis University and Washington University. He worked for the state Department of Economic Development (DED) in Jefferson City for about eight years before taking the REDI job seven months ago:

You noticed another visible law enforcement presence in downtown Columbia this weekend. It’s the second straight weekend of additional law enforcement downtown, following late September’s deadly triple shooting that killed a Stephens College senior nursing student. City manager De’Carlon Seewood discussed downtown safety and crime in-studio with host Fred Parry Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable.” They also discussed the Columbia Chamber’s recent leadership visit to Columbia South Carolina, which Mayor Barbara Buffaloe and Mr. Seewood attended. Downtown safety and crime were key issues discussed on the trip. “It kind of reinforced that a lot of things that we’re dealing with, they have been dealing with. And they’re probably two or three years ahead of us. But it’s lessons learned and you can see some of the things that they’ve done that worked and some of the things they’ve done that didn’t work,” Mr. Seewood tells listeners. He and Fred Parry also discussed the horrific 2019 murder of a USC student in South Carolina who was kidnapped and stabbed more than 100 times and killed after she thought she was getting into her Uber. They also discussed Columbia recycling and the new budget:

Last weekend’s deadly triple shooting in downtown Columbia and UM System President Dr. Mun Choi’s Monday press conference on downtown crime have dominated news headlines in mid-Missouri since the shooting. Networks of Mid-Missouri general manager Curtis Varns joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” on Saturday. One of the main topics was Channel 17’s coverage of the deadly shooting and what has happened since. Mr. Varns notes the murder victim, Stephens College senior nursing student Aiyanna Williams, was well-known in the community. Curtis notes ABC-17 interviewed her three years ago at Battle’s graduation. Mr. Varns also says President Choi’s press conference on crime generated major headlines. President Choi says crime downtown is at a crisis point. CPD is temporarily reassigning a patrol sergeant to focus full-time on overnight downtown operations. Police chief Jill Schlude says that on most Friday and Saturday nights, nearly half of CPD’s on-duty officers are reallocated downtown. Chief Schlude says CPD plans to reestablish a dedicated downtown unit in the summer of 2026. The chief says the deadly triple shooting marks the fourth, fifth and sixth uninvolved bystanders struck by gunfire downtown since March 2024. She also says violent crime is disproportionately higher downtown compared to previous years. Host Parry and Mr. Varns discussed that in-detail. Curtis Varns grew up in rural western Missouri’s Drexel, a town of about 950 residents. He graduated from the University of Missouri School of Journalism and was hired as KMIZ assignment editor in 1995 by then-news director Teresa Snow. KMIZ will celebrate its 54th anniversary in December: it went on-air in 1971. KQFX, MeTV and KZOU are also part of the Networks of Mid-Missouri. Mr. Varns also discussed KMIZ’s coverage of Mizzou Sports and the Kansas City Chiefs, and discussed his relationship with the Columbia Area Career Center:

Columbia pastor Christopher Kurtz is a local pastor at Anthem church on Paris road. He also is an entrepreneur and an innovator who is involved with what is known as the Pillar Project. Pastor Kurtz joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” program. Pastor Kurtz works with many college students in the Columbia area and tells listeners that there is a growing hunger now for college students and others to attend church. He says some are attending church for the first time ever, while others are attending for the first time in 30 years. Pastor Kurtz grew up in rural northwest Missouri’s Trenton, a town of about 5,600 in Grundy County. Trenton is best known for its Main Street and for excellent hunting/fishing in the area. Most of Pastor Kurtz’s family live in northwest Missouri’s Jamesport, and many are Amish. He emphasizes the importance of education, noting his parents only finished eighth grade. He and host Parry also discussed details about the Pillar project, the topic of school choice and his life as a father:

Former Mizzou quarterback Alex Demczak of Columbia is a best-selling author and speaker. He’s the co-author of a book called “The Sale” with Jon Gordon. Mr. Demczak joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable” program. Mr. Demczak tells listeners that the book is about leading with integrity. He grew up in Illinois and walked-on at Mizzou, where he played for then-Coach Gary Pinkel for four years. Mr. Demczak describes that time as an amazing experience. He and host Parry also discussed communication tips and strategies and talked about Alex’s speaker school as well. Mr. Demczak graduated from Mizzou with a degree in communication and a minor in business:

Monday marks the end of a 16-year era in the Columbia area for the Central Missouri Honor Flight (CMHF). Their final flight to Washington leaves Lambert Field in St. Louis early Monday morning. The CMHF has flown about 5,500 veterans to Washington in 16 years to reflect at their memorials. The first flight was in 2009. Central Missouri Honor Flight director Steve Paulsell joined Fred Parry in-studio Saturday morning on 939 the Eagle’s “CEO Roundtable.” Mr. Paulsell tells listeners that this is sad. He also tells listeners that the CMHF had many veterans and little money in 2009. “Now we find ourselves 16 years later where we’ve got money but we don’t have veterans. We normally take anywhere from 75 to 95 veterans on a flight and I haven’t been able to do that. In fact this flight’s not totally full,” Mr. Paulsell tells listeners. There will be about 120 people on Monday’s charter flight from St. Louis Lambert. They’ll leave Columbia’s Courtyard by Marriot at 1:15 on Monday morning and will bus to Lambert. Mr. Paulsell says 74 are Vietnam-era veterans, one is a Korean War veteran and the rest of caregivers and staff. He thanks Zimmer Radio and our listeners, the numerous businesses that have donated over the years and volunteers who have worked countless hours. The final Central Missouri Honor Flight radiothon with 939 the Eagle and Zimmer in 2023 raised about $127,000. Mr. Parry interviewed CMHF director Paulsell on the second and third segments of the show. He also interviewed two Mizzou students with “Columbia for Christ” for the first segment about an event happening Wednesday on Mizzou’s Traditions Plaza. One student is a Mizzou track athlete and the other is from Bridgeton and says the Holy Spirit led him to Mizzou:

Missouri's special session on congressional redistricting and initiative petition changes continues Monday in Jefferson City. Award-winning reporter Rudi Keller of the "Missouri Independent" newspaper joined host Fred Parry in-studio for the hour Saturday on 939 the Eagle's "CEO Roundtable" program. They discussed the special session in-detail, including the impact of new congressional maps on Boone County and on the debate over IP reform. They discussed the issue of property tax reform as well. One of the other main issues they discussed was the work the Independent is doing and newspapers that have reduced or eliminated their Missouri Capitol coverage. Mr. Keller notes the "Springfield News-Leader" no longer has a bureau in Jefferson City and says the "St. Louis Post-Dispatch" and "Kansas City Star" now have one-person bureaus. Mr. Keller served two stints at the "Columbia Daily Tribune" before joining the Independent. He and host Fred Parry also discussed the late former "Columbia Daily Tribune" publisher Hank Waters:

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: