Business Spotlight: Serenity Valley Winery , Rances Carpet & Cabinets / Rock N RV Tack Shop

Serenity Valley Winery  is the newest mid-Missouri winery that provides a peaceful, tranquil atmosphere to enjoy boutique wines. From just East of Columbia, or just West of Fulton, you can
relax overlooking the Serene Lake and enjoy spectacular sunsets! Whether making wine, holding a private party or just relaxing from the stresses of everyday activities, SVW is where you can unwind and experience enjoyable wines in a comfortable smoke-free environment. Find out more about this Rewards Shop Local double points merchant on their enjoy their  Facebook page or visit the website at www.serenitywinerymo.com

Rances Carpet & Cabinets /Rock N RV Tack Shop  is located in Fulton at 1005 South Business 54. Rock N RV Tack Shop has everything from lead ropes to boots. If they don’t have it in stock, Rance and his team will order it for you! At Rances Carpet & Cabinets, they will take care of your remodeling needs! Stop by or call 573.592.7877 for more info!

 

Business Spotlight: Smockingbirds, Copper Kettle & Rob Mar Advertising

Smockingbirds has been in business for the past ten years.Virginia McCoskrie, attributes her success to the fact that “I offer a unique mix of fun, affordable gifts and wonderful customer service.”  You can find everything from jewelry, gourmet food,glass ware, bath & body luxuries, candles, greeting cards, handmade chocolates and owner-made handsmocked children’s clothes! Located in the Brick District at 529 Court Street, Ste.1, Smockingbirds is open Monday,Tuesday &Friday: 10-5; Wednesday &-Thursday: 10-6, & Saturdays:  10-4. Find out more about this Rewards Shop Local, double points merchant at: www.smockingbirdsgifts.com  or you can also find them on Facebook.

Copper Kettle Restaurant is located in Ashland. A casual, home style cooking restaurant they service breakfast, lunch and dinner Wednesday through  Saturday 7:30 am – 9:00 pm and on Sundays  8:00 am – 3:00 pm. Copper Kettle offers catering services, free WiFi, access to their Banquet Rooms, and an antique mall.  Find out more about this Rewards Shop Local, merchant on their  Facebook page .


Rob Mar Advertising is a promotional product distributor and proud member of the Advertising Specialty Institute.  Rob Mar offers supply’s to your company with every possible promotional product from over 3000 suppliers. There mission is to help you create long-lasting relationships with your clients through the power of promotional products. Contact Marylin and her team at 573.387.4547 or by email at [email protected]. To view there full line of custom promotional materials at www.rob-maradvertising.com.

"Heartbleed" Bug in the news

The “Heartbleed” security bug has received great attention in the news over the past few days, and rightly so.  The security flaw means that people could have their usernames, passwords, and other sensitive data stolen when they access websites without current security patches.
Please know that in regards to our own systems, we have tested and received high marks for compliance, and therefore are not exposed to the “Heartbleed” bug.  
As part of our everyday security practices,  The Callaway Bank monitors and routinely investigates known vulnerabilities.  We maintain open communications with our technology vendors and service providers, and as a matter of regular procedure we annually test and review our systems to ensure they are up to date.
For more information regarding the “Heartbleed” bug check out the following articles:
http://www.cnet.com/news/how-to-protect-yourself-from-the-heartbleed-bug/
http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2014/04/09/heartbleed-five-questions/7501033/

Volunteer "Give Back" Day Announced!

On Thursday, April 3rd, President and CEO Kim Barnes announced a new volunteer program for all Callaway Bank employees called “Give Back Day”.  The program gives each employee an extra day off to use specifically for giving back to the community through volunteer service.  The idea is to encourage  our employees at all levels to become involved in the community, and make it easy for them to do so.   In an email to staff she explained, “We want you to feel empowered to help non-profits in our communities, and we want to make it easy for you to be involved .”    

Kim Barnes headshotWhile the bank has a long history of community involvement and encouraging our employees to be involved, we realized that some of our team was finding it difficult to commit to volunteer service because of scheduling conflicts.  They would often have to use vacation time.  To help remedy this situation and empower our people, the management team chose to award the extra day off which could be broken into chunks of volunteer time.  Now employees can schedule their volunteer time just like they would a doctor’s appointment.   It is important that people are free to choose the organization that they want to assist.  “… because, after all, we ARE a community bank ,” states Kim Barnes, President, and CEO of The Callaway Bank.

Grant Program Helps First-Time Home Buyers

Buying your first home can often be a daunting task.  Not only is there quite a bit of paperwork, but just coming up with a down payment is a challenge for many people.  Fortunately for six mid-Missouri residents the process was made easy, particularly with a grant they received to cover much of the upfront expense.

Derek Abbot, picture

Derek Abbott, FHLB Grant recipient

Derek Abbott was a first-time home buyer who was facing those challenges.  Then one of our lenders, Brian Hughes,  mentioned how we could help Derek receive a $3,500 grant to go towards his closing costs and down payment.  Derek, a Boone County firefighter, said it was great knowing his bank was looking out for him.  “Brian was really good.  He knew what he was doing, and he kept me posted on the whole process.  He even made the paperwork easy.” 
The grant that Derek received was part of an overall $15,000 grant that The Callaway Bank brought to mid-Missouri from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines, IA.  We were one of only eight banks in Missouri to receive the grant.  In addition to the $15,000, we provided an additional $6,000 of our own funds in an effort to help first time home buyers.

The resulting $21,000 pool of funds was awarded to six qualifying home-buyers in the Columbia and Fulton area.  Another one of the recipients was Rhiannon Clardy. Rhiannon worked with Carole Reynolds to buy her first home.  With Carole’s help, Rhiannon qualified for the $3,500 grant and now is busy making improvements to her new home.  “Carole made the entire process painless.  She took care of the paperwork and everything ,” said Rhiannon.
“We are always looking for ways to help our clients reach their goals”, said Rick Gohring, Callaway County Market President.  “People still find it challenging to navigate the mortgage process and we do everything we can to guide them to make the process easier.  The best part is when we can help people with their first house because it is such a big change in their life.”

Now that the grant pool has been allocated, we  plan to reapply to the Federal Home Loan Bank for additional funds.  In the meantime, we will continue to assist applicants with buying their new homes through every avenue available.

Business Spotlight: Truescape Garden Center, NutriShop & Cafe Creme

In the Spring of 2013 Truescape expanded its business to include a full service garden center.  You can find everything for your gardening and yard beautification needs! They have it all for the “Do-it-Yourselfer” or let the installation department give you a free quote. Located at 510 Gaylord Drive in Fulton the Truescape Garden Center is open Monday-Friday: 9am-6pm; Saturday: 9am-5pm & Sunday: 11am-4pm. Find out more about this Rewards Shop Local, double points merchant at: www.truescapemo.com  or you can also find them on Facebook.

NutriShop  in Columbia works to provide you with the best overall sports supplement and nutrition experience. From meal planning to training, their knowledgeable experts will give you the tools to reach and exceed your goals. They also offer a free nutrition consultation and diet plan from one of the knowledgeable experts, stop by and see how you can begin to meet and exceed your goals! They are located at 233 North Stadium Blvd in Columbia . Nutrishop is open Monday – Thursday : 10:00 am – 8:00 pm, Friday – Saturday: 10:00 am – 7:00 pm, & Sunday: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. You can check them out online at www.nutrishopcolumbia.com  or check them out on Facebook.

Cafe Creme is a coffee shop & deli, serving breakfast & lunch with catering available. Offering a wide selection of gourmet coffees, home made baked goods, sandwiches, salads & soup, Monday – Friday: 6:30 am – 5:00 p.m. & Saturday: 8:00 am – 3:00 p.m. Located at 500 Market Street Suite 103 in Fulton. Contact them today at 573-642-6599 or visit them on Facebook for more info!