St. Louis Label Company Finds Growth in
Sales, Profits with MO SBDC Advice

Pogue Label & Screen, Inc.—St. Louis, MO
Assisted by:
Greg Tucker, St. Louis Regional Small Business Development Center

Business growth is a good thing - IF it's carefully controlled.

Michael Meuser, president and owner of Pogue Label & Screen Inc. (PLS), has learned the hard way about controlling business growth, but he's done so with the help of an old friend.

Three years ago Meuser's search for solid business advice led him to Greg Tucker, business management consultant with the St. Louis regional Missouri Small Business Development Center (MO SBDC). The two were former colleagues at a local marketing firm.

Meuser, who bought the north-St. Louis County specialty screen-printing firm in 1998, had challenges managing business growth and needed advice on plant layout and workflow analysis. Tucker linked Meuser with John Amos, manufacturing consultant and University of Missouri-Rolla professor emeritus of engineering management. After several meetings with Meuser, Amos and Tucker recommended plant layout and work process improvements resulting in greater production efficiency. The changes also lifted employee morale.

With production improved, the sales-oriented Meuser needed to hone other business skills. Tucker started with cash flow advice, convincing Meuser to raise prices.

"He (Meuser) has had several price increases over the last few years, his sales have grown exponentially and his profitability has increased, too," reports Tucker. "He has seen several competitors fall by the wayside and his business has grown."

Other developments at PLS include improved employee utilization and recruiting, the hiring of a plant manager to relieve Meuser of responsibilities in production supervision, and adoption of Balanced Scorecard. This system, which Tucker and team of colleagues recommended, is not yet fully implemented but already has demonstrated improvements in business efficiency at PLS.

And revenue increases prove the point: gross sales for have risen 30 percent over the past three years with no increases in the 25-person PLS-workforce, according to Tucker.

And what does Meuser have to say about the services Tucker and SBDC colleagues have provided to PLS?

Michael Mueser, owner of Pogue Label and Screen, Inc., visits with Rep. Maria Chappelle-Nadal and SBDC business development specialist Greg Tucker at the Business Showcase and Legislative Breakfast Feb. 10, 2005, at the Missouri State Capitol in Jefferson City.

"Greg and his team of experts have given new life to our company and helped secure jobs in this economically disadvantaged section of St. Louis," says Meuser. "With his help and the advice of people like John Amos, we've been able to streamline our production plant and improve our business practices. That, in turn, has raised our overall performance and our revenue stream."

And because of the steady progress demonstrated by the company, Pogue Label & Screen represented MO SBDC at the first Client Showcase and Legislative Breakfast Feb. 10, in the State Capitol Rotunda in Jefferson City.

Pogue Label & Screen, Inc.
1380 Ferguson Avenue
St. Louis, Mo 63133
314-721-5111 phone
314-721-5112 fax
poguelabel2000@cs.com

For more information on the services of the MO SBDC program, call Tucker at 314/631-5327 or e-mail him at tuckergd@smsu.edu.

---

Featured Entrepreneurs and Client Showcase Archive

Northwest Dynamic Industrial Services of St. Joseph - rebuilder of electric motors Flexible Staffing of Chillicothe - provider of temporary workers Grace Weekend Clinic of Chillicothe - health clinic Gray's Jewelry and Gifts of Maryville - jewelry repair and sales Miller Family Hairstyling of St. Joseph - salon Oswald Ag of Tarkio - custom agricultural spraying service Uncle D's Sports Bar and Grill of St. Joseph - dining establishment Northeast Crafter's Cabin of Kirksville - craft supply store Pricemonk.com of Festus - online textbook sales Scootermania of Kirksville - motor scooter sales West Central BENE-FIT Health and Fitness of Kansas City - fitness and health center Big Vision Design, LLC, of Platte Woods - web site designer/developer Billy Goat Industries of Lee's Summit - manufacturer of outdoor power equipment DGR Associates of Belton - supplier of facility and housing maintenance Eygon Enterprises of Lee's Summit - manufacturer of a special tool for truckers Hensley Technologies, Inc. of Kansas City - supplying government agencies with high-tech electronic equipment The Home Center of Clinton - lumber, hardware and home improvement store Mail Boxes Etc - Leawood, KS - mailing/shipping services franchise OCCU-TEC, Inc., of Kansas City - firm specializing in safety and environmental training Premier Foods of Milan - poultry processing plant P/Strada, LLC, of Kansas City - a consultant in bio-terrorism and homeland security sComm, Inc., of Kansas City - developer of devices to assist the deaf and hearing impaired Stealth Garments of Lee's Summit - manufacturer of clothing for law enforcement personnel Warrensburg Hydraulics of Warrensburg - sales and service for construction, agricultural and industrial equipment X-Com, Inc. of Warrensburg, - produces digital communications hardware and software for the Navy and other commercial applications and products Southeast Feather Light Lamp Manufacturing of Kennett - maker of high-quality lighting Gatherings Cafe of Cape Girardeau - restaurant, bakery and catering establishment Technology and Networking of Scott City- design and implementation of customer relations management and networking solutions Shaffer's Substation of Ellsinore - electrical substation construction business Starred clients were a part of the 2005 Client Showcase [more]

Central Columbia's Finest Child Development Center of Columbia - day care center H2OVER Beverage Company of Columbia - canned drinking water distributor Moresource, Inc. of Columbia - professional employer organization Paragon Business Solutions of Nixa - consulting firm specializing in building performance driven business systems Paternity Testing Corporation of Columbia - forensic investigations, DNA profiling and parental identification Renewable Alternatives of Columbia - specializing in the engineering of phase change materials to ensure consistent temperatures ValRich Foods of Jefferson City - produces and distributes La Casita salsas Wren Associates, Ltd. of Jefferson City - provider of retail fraud detection systems East Central Arvin's Appliance and Furniture of Wellston - furniture and appliance store BRK Electric of St. Louis - an electrical contractor Custard Caravan of Eureka - mobile frozen custard parlor Forum Home Health of St. Louis - in-home health care services Global Solutions Group of Fenton - network solutions, IT telephone and systems management firm ISW Group, Inc., of St. Louis - manufacturer of a skin-care product for African Americans suffering with dermatological problems Kim's Kids of St. Louis - day care/learning centers Lee J. of St. Louis - fine men and women's clothing Luminomics of St. Louis - firm developing regenerative treatments for neurological diseases The Newberry Group of St. Louis - developer of computer security systems Optimal Lifestyles - of St. Louis - health/fitness consulting company Paper Petals of Fenton - printing and custom design of note cards and invitations Pogue Label and Screen of St. Louis - a specialist in printing labels on plastic containers Sigma Aldrich of St. Louis - chemical manufacturer TechGuard Security of Chesterfield - provider of information network security products Westinn Kennels of St. Charles - canine boarding and training facility Southwest Able Products of Joplin - furniture manufacturer Developmental Depot of Joplin - offering child care services during nontraditional hours Digital Technology and Surveillance of Nixa - security systems for schools and businesses Furniture Gourmet of Springfield - internet-based retailer of decorative home accessories Great Expectations of Joplin - Christian bookstore Just For You of Joplin - store offering wigs and mastectomy products KC Clippers Styling Salon of Kimberling City - salon Lee Marketing Group of Joplin - marketing firm Specialty Merchandise Sales of Branson - importer/seller of women's fashion costume jewelry The Vacation Channel of Branson - independent TV station providing tourism info South Central Eyes of the World of Rolla - manufacturer of high-quality intraocular lenses for humans and animals Fundraiser Software of West Plains - a developer of donor management computer programs

Visit the current Featured Entrepreneur