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Sunlight Saunas of Lenexa Named Small Business of the Year
KANSAS CITY, MO (kansascityfrontpage.com), May 20, 2008 - Sunlight Saunas of Lenexa, Kansas, was presented with the "Mr. K" Award as the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce's 2008 Small Business of the Year. Co-owners Aaron and Connie Zack accepted the award May 20 at The Chamber's Small Business Celebration Luncheon.

Criteria for the Mr. K Award are based on the principles espoused by late KC entrepreneur Ewing Kauffman: growth in revenue; excellent employee relations; and a strong commitment to community service.

The husband-and-wife team founded Sunlight Saunas in 1999. Just nine short years later, Sunlight Saunas has increased sales exponentially both nationally and internationally, with 38 distributors in 13 countries, including Australia, Sweden, the UK, Spain, and Denmark. They doubled their sales staff in 2007, and are continuing to grow. Sunlight Saunas was named one of Inc. magazine's fastest growing companies. Revenues have more than doubled during the past three years.

Sunlight Saunas sells far infrared saunas, both wholesale and retail. (Many of their sales are over the Internet). Aaron Zack says the company partners with wellness providers around the world to educate the public on the health benefits of the company's products. Hearing from customers freed from arthritis pain or who have lost significant amounts of weight is especially meaningful.

The Zack's new world headquarters is in the old Sun Publications building at I-435 and Metcalf. The completely renovated building is designed with employees in mind, and includes a relaxation space with game room, a creative room, fitness center, outdoor patio, and full-service kitchen (with executive chef).

The space features a showroom with various sauna vignettes on display. It's also home to their new Sunlight Spa, a premium spa experience which opened to the public earlier this year.

The building's visibility also show's off the largest working barometer in the U.S. The 10 by 40 foot sign uses an LED system to gradually change color as weather changes occur. "A lot of people feel aches and pains when the weather changes," Aaron Zack explains. The 200,000 motorists that pass by on I-435 daily can now tell what the weather is doing based on the color of the Sunlight Sauna sign.

This is the second year the company was named one of the Top 10 Small Businesses of the Year. More than 1500 companies were nominated this year in what has become the nation's largest celebration of small business and its importance to the local economy.

Five-Year Transportation Program Includes Last Hurrah of New Projects
KANSAS CITY, MO (kansascityfrontpage.com), May 20, 2008 - Missouri's proposed five-year transportation improvement program includes a last hurrah of new transportation projects before plummeting to a program where limited funding will only cover minimal maintenance and safety work.

The 2009-2013 transportation program includes $300 million in new construction projects because lower than expected interest rates provided additional Amendment 3 bonding capacity. The $140 million bonded amount, combined with state savings from using Practical Design on projects and local matching funds, allows the Missouri Department of Transportation to tackle these new highway projects over the next five years, including additional lanes, interchange improvements and congestion relief.

"While it's great news to be able to pursue this additional work, we can't overlook the fact that in this program the Amendment 3 bond proceeds are used up, and our state transportation program goes back to critically low spending levels," MoDOT Director Pete Rahn said. "The program we're proposing marks the shift from having the opportunity to build new projects to barely maintaining what we have."

Missouri transitions from a construction program averaging $1.23 billion to a construction program of about $575 million in 2013. Compounding the funding problem is an expected decline in federal revenue, and rising fuel and construction costs.

"We have seen great progress due to Amendment 3," Rahn said. "Missouri must now have a conversation about what is to come regarding continued improvements to our transportation system."

Several projects added using the additional $300 Million include:

- Jackson County, I-70 & I-435, improve capacity Blue Ridge Cut-off & Rt. 40, $34 million
- Jackson County, I-70 & Rt. 40, relocated north outer road Grain Valley, $4 million

Missouri House Concludes Successful Session With Focus on Property Tax Relief and Immigration Reform
JEFFERSON CITY, MO (kansascityfrontpage.com), May 20, 2008 - The Missouri House concluded business for the 2008 legislative session with a flurry of activity that resulted in the passage of several priority issues ranging from property tax relief to illegal immigration reform.

House Speaker Rod Jetton, R-Marble Hill, praised his colleagues for working together to secure passage of legislation that builds upon the legislative successes of previous years with a focus on protecting Missouri taxpayers.

In a statement, Speaker Jetton said, "During my time here, we have worked to turn Missouri around and to pull it from the brink of financial disaster. I'm proud of the fact we have been able to accomplish so much without a tax increase of any sort. In fact, we've been able to cut taxes several times during my time in the House."

"I am excited I was able to finish my time here on a high note by offering property tax relief to Missourians who have suffered from excessive rate increases and by filling the void left by the inaction of the federal government in dealing with the problems posed by illegal immigration," said Speaker Jettson.

On the final day of session the House gave approval to a property tax relief bill (SB 711) that will protect taxpayers from excessive property tax increases after reassessment. The bill requires taxing jurisdictions to roll back their tax rate to counter reassessment increases regardless of whether they are operating at or below their tax rate ceiling. The bill also offers assistance to Missourians struggling to afford their property tax bills by expanding a tax credit program for senior and disabled homeowners.

The illegal immigration legislation passed by the House addresses a wide range of issues to help the state deal with this growing problem. Among other things, the bill (HB 1549, 1771, 1395 & 2366) ensures illegal immigrants do not receive public benefits and that municipalities do not adopt sanctuary policies that are conducive to harboring those who are here illegally. The bill also cracks down on employers who knowingly hire unauthorized aliens and authorizes additional training for Missouri Highway Patrol members so they are better able to enforce federal immigration laws.

In addition to those pieces of legislation, the House approved a $22.4 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2009. The spending plan includes an increase of $136.7 million in direct state aid to public elementary and secondary schools. Included in that is a $121.3 million increase for the state's foundation formula. The budget also includes a $43 million increase for Missouri's colleges and universities. In addition, the budget authorizes a $334.4 million increase for the state's MO HealthNet program and an increase of $155.4 million for the Missouri Department of Transportation's construction program.

Other legislative highlights from the 2008 legislative session include:

- Legislation (HB 2393) that offers an incentive package that could trigger an aircraft manufacturing company to invest $400 million into building a passenger jet assembly plant at the Kansas City International Airport that would employ 2,100 people. Under the bill, Missouri would offer up to $240 million in tax credits over eight years, beginning in 2013, based on the number of employees hired at the assembly plant.

- A wide-ranging economic development bill that includes an extension and expansion of the Missouri Quality Jobs Act that has been extremely successful in bringing high-paying jobs with health insurance benefits to Missouri. SB 718 extends the tax credit program through August 30, 2013 and increases the maximum amount of tax credits that can be issued under the act from $40 million to $60 million. The bill also includes an expansion of the Enhanced Enterprise Zone program.

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