A mainstay on the square in Savannah, Missouri, will stay open thanks in part to a loan program administered by the Center for Entrepreneurship within the Craig School of Business at Missouri Western. The Sports Page, 411 W. Main Street, was recently purchased by Leigh and Stacy Spicer. It was started by the late Terry Powell and then run by his wife Julie Powell for more than 20 years.

The Bradley Entrepreneur Loan Fund was used to secure financing from Farmers State Bank for the Spicers’ purchase of the business.

“It is wonderful that Stacy and Leigh Spicer have been able to purchase the business and continue the service to the region,” said Annette Weeks, director of the Center for Entrepreneurship. “Thank you to the Bradley family for establishing this program to support entrepreneurs.”

The Bradley family, owners of the News-Press & Gazette Company, pledged $300,000 earlier this year to establish the fund that helps Missouri Western students and alumni get financing to start or acquire a business. Leigh Spicer received a degree from Missouri Western in 2012.

“One of our goals this year is to help family-owned businesses begin succession planning early enough to bring prospective owners into the business prior to their anticipated retirement,” Weeks said. “This is a great example: we were able to bring together a current business owner and one of our alumni to help maintain a 20-year cornerstone of the Savannah community.”

For more information on the loan program or to begin the application process, contact Weeks at 816-271-4283 or [email protected].

The Spicers, the Center for Entrepreneurship, the Savannah Area Chamber of Commerce and Northwest Missouri Enterprise Facilitation will hold a ribbon-cutting for the Sports Page at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 6.