Here is news and information from Warren County businesses and Chambers of Commerce:For many small businesses, the four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are a crucial period that could determine whether they are profitable for the year.In 2010, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and American Express decided to draw attention and sales to small businesses to support their own communities. The NFIB reports that small business represents 99.7 percent of all U.S. employers and provide jobs for 58 million Americans.Cedar Lake Cellars, a winery and event venue in Wright City, has hired Becky Dunston as events director and Kristine Gipperich as events coordinator.Dunston will manage event operations. In addition to working with new and prospective clients, she also will review and monitor all inventory and expenditures pertaining to the winery and event venue.Prior to joining Cedar Lake Cellars, she worked at a local winery in a variety of managerial roles and has more than 10 years of event industry experience.Gipperich will work directly with clients to create detailed time lines for their events. This includes ongoing communication among clients, vendors and staff to ensure flawless events.Prior to joining Cedar Lake Cellars, Gipperich previously worked in the hospitality industry, as well as at a local winery in the special events department.Ameren earned the 2017 Military Friendly Employers designation by Victory Media, publisher of G.I. Jobs, STEM JobsSM and Military Spouse.This is the eighth consecutive year Ameren has received the Military Friendly Employers designation for employing and supporting military veterans and their families.“Veterans are ideal co-workers because they bring transferable skills, a strong work ethic and a collaborative mindset to the workplace. We are committed to recruiting and hiring more veterans to fill key positions at Ameren,” said Mark Lindgren, Ameren senior vice president, corporate communications, and chief human resources officer.Ameren will be showcased along with other 2017 Military Friendly Employers in the December issue of G.I. Jobs magazine, the January 2017 issue of Military Spouse Magazine, and on MilitaryFriendly.com.Please send your business news and announcements to Kate Miller at recordnews@warrencountyrecord.Business bits木戸優太丸